


The Guitar Shop

by Sayraybay



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-26
Updated: 2017-01-06
Packaged: 2018-07-10 10:49:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 31
Words: 39,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6981292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sayraybay/pseuds/Sayraybay
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What if Killian had been around during the first curse? What's the perfect punishment for a man with one hand, who once captained a very notorious ship?</p><p>This is an episode by episode retelling of season one, starting with the episode 'The Huntsman', with Hook being in town during the first curse. I tried to stay as close to canon as I could, while still putting him in there and making him a part of things that are going on.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Charlie's Guitar's

I'd been reading the paper since the new Sherriff got elected. I hadn't gone to the Town meeting where she'd stood up to Gold but I'd heard it was brilliant. Anything that humiliates that bastard makes my day. I heard the shop door open and left the backroom.

The walls were strewn with guitar's hanging up. Acoustic's, Electric's and a few Arch-tops. There were at least a hundred or so in here. I've only ever sold a few, in such a small town, I can't imagine why I'd have ever thought that this was a good Idea. Not to mention the fact that I can't actually play any of them considering I only have one hand, still though, they were beautiful instrument's. There was one that was my favorite, one that I'd kept in a glass case, mounted on the most prominent spot on the wall. It wasn't for sale. I couldn't tell what kind of wood it was made out of and I don't know why it was so near and dear to me, but I'd never sell it. There was something about the face, it was light wood and there were three large printed letters on it just below the bridge. 'J O L', the letters looked like someone had almost tried to scrub them off.

Regardless, I headed to the door and speak of the devil. I'd just been reading about the Sherriff and lo and behold here she was at my door. I'd never met her before but anyone with eyes could tell you she was stunning.

For someone who'd just entered the police force, she already had the hard 'Cop face' nailed. 

"Charlie Johnson?"

"Yes, pleasure. You must be the new sheriff" There was a little bit of humor to my face. She was trying a bit too hard. 

"I got a report that you were in an altercation with Mr. Gold recently"

I wonder who'd reported that. Must've been some on-looker. Gold and I liked to keep our feud to ourselves. Every month he tries to take a cut of the, already next-to-no-profit that my shop brings in and every month I refuse. It's become routine now after so many years. Gold demands ten percent or he'll send one of his thugs to mess up my shop, I refuse and set up traps, alarms and an excessive amount of video surveillance to deter said thugs. It's been getting worse and worse recently however especially since the old Sherriff is no longer with us. I didn't know if he'd been feeling cockier or what but this past month he had been particularly more determined than ever. One of his men managed to smash up at least a couple hundred dollars of merchandise before I fired a warning shot and scared them off. It took nearly a full week to repair one of the body's to an Arch-top.

"I don't know what you're talking about, love"

"Really because the smashed up countertop over there looks like it could tell a different story and a neighbor reported hearing a shot fired" 

Well, at least she was observant, I had the desk under a cloth in the corner.

"Never hear of wood rotting out? And Mrs. Bremen's hearing is definitely not what it used to be. Must've been a car back firing"


	2. Liar

Emma's POV:

yeah. Backfire. Backfire, my ass. I'd heard of this guy from a couple different people. After I'd realized that Gold had rigged the election I'd felt like such a pawn, so I'd talked with a few people in town about him, I knew he was shady when I first showed up in town, but now I wanted to know just how far that shadiness went. It had turned out deeper than expected considering most people in town seemed terrified to even talk about him. Like he'd know who they were. What was he, a small town mob-boss or something?

The few that were willing to talk, which weren't many, always mentioned this guy. This Charlie Johnson guy. 

The guy who worked for Moe French at the flower shop, Christopher. He'd told me that, for years, the only person in town who ever tried to oppose Gold was Charlie, who owned a small Guitar shop a couple street's down from the pawn shop. I'd been meaning to go down and ask him some questions, when a bit of luck hit. A few days ago there'd been a call to the station at three in the morning. A shot had been heard towards the end of the street, near the Music shop. The town was small, so by the time I'd gotten there I could only make out the sight of two big guys around the block. I went up to question them and they took off running. I'd chased them on foot after they ran but after a few more blocks they'd made their way to a white van and took off. The van didn't have any plate numbers. 

I'd asked around the area, if anyone knew where the shot had been fired from, but everyone played silent and no one turned up injured or in the hospital. It wasn't until I put up a reward that Christopher called in and told me who the most likely suspect was and a little bit about his reputation. After handing him the reward money he asked me if I wouldn't act on the Info he'd just given me for a few more days so that no one would know that he was involved. The guy seemed like such a rat, but I figured if I gave him a few days, maybe in the future he'd be useful again for information.

Walking up to the guitar shop, I got a little nostalgic. When I was younger and living on the streets I'd learned a few songs, so I could play for tips. I ended up making enough for decent food money, not that lugging a stolen guitar around was all that easy. Still, I did love the instrument.

Walking in, I noticed there wasn't anyone around. There was a bell on the door and the sign in the window read 'OPEN', so someone must've heard me. There were guitar's everywhere, mounted on all four walls. Some were on stands, there was even one inside a beautiful glass case on the wall.

My eyes fell on what must've been a desk in the right hand corner of the room. There was a dark red cloth draped over it but the general shape of the object was tilted, someone had clearly smashed the frame with either a baseball bat or some kind of blunt force object. 

I looked around for more signs that something had gone down here, when someone came in from the back room. 

"Charlie Johnson?" I asked with a nod in his direction.

He was a tall guy with dark brown hair, wearing dark blue jeans and a black T-shirt it was only when he turned to the door behind him, that I noticed his left arm ended at the wrist. I wondered what had happened but didn't give it too much thought. It wasn't my business and I wasn't rude enough to ask. So I put on a stern face and went back to the reason I'd come here. I wanted Information on Gold but I was having trouble figuring out what to say to get him to trust me. I mentioned that someone had reported a shot being fired and he lied through his teeth about it being some kind of misunderstanding.

When I brought up the beaten up desk, he looked like he almost wanted to smile. My internal lie detector kept going off through out the entire conversation. It seemed like what ever went on between him and Gold he was determined to keep it between the two of them. Damn, this guy was shady too.

A few more minutes of conversation and I realized this guy wasn't going to give anything up about whatever feud he had with Gold, I decided I'd try again some other time.

"Well, if you do hear anything about Gold, you know where to find me"

"Sure thing love" he smirked and watched me as I turned and headed for the door.

'Love?' where was this guy from? His accent sounded English, but the way he spoke threw me off, then I remembered that Graham had also had an accent... Maybe Henry was right about the curse. Ha. I cast that thought aside.


	3. That's a Poor Excuse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This Chapter takes place during the events of 'True North'

Emma's POV:

This new case I’d been working on was driving me insane. I’d had to pick these kids up after they tried to frame Henry for stealing some stuff from Darkstar Pharmacy. 

I'd followed the kids to their ‘Home’ where I found out their actual situation. Now Regina was dead set on booting them off to a Boston Orphanage. Dozens of lonely memories ran through my head about my own time in the system. 

And it was going to be so much worse for these two. At least they’d had each other growing up, and now they were going to be separated, I knew the system well enough to know the chances aren’t very high for a parent to adopt one of them at their age, let alone one and their sibling.

I know what I was doing was insane; Looking for their (most likely deadbeat) parents, lingering around town. But there were just too many scars from my own past to just let these kids go without putting in any kind of effort.

Mary Margaret thought I was crazy too, though she was, as always, sweet and gentle about the topic. I asked her if she’d ever seen them with parents or any adult at all and she didn’t. Henry was the only one on my side, but that was because he thought the two kids were Hansel and Gretel. This fairytale thing was getting out of control. Ugh.

The kid’s gave me the only clue that they had to who their father was. It was an old compass that apparently had belonged to him and I cringed when I realized just who I’d have to talk to about any info on the compass. Mr. Gold.

When I got to the shop he was as cocky as usual but tells me that the compass belonged to a Michael Tillman. I went back to the station and ran a quick check in the system. He had one hit in the system and it wasn’t very encouraging. A couple years back, Graham had taken him in from the Rabbit Hole Bar for disorderly conduct.

The only positive thing was that the record gave me all of his information. Graham was always very thorough. 

Michael Tillman was the town’s lone Mechanic. I’d seen him a few times, the shop was close to Granny’s Diner and he’d stopped in a few times for his lunch break.

I looked up at the clock on the wall. 6:20pm damn it, the Garage closed at five. Maybe if I hurried I could still catch him working late or something. I hurried out and around the block. 

Once I got to the shop, I peered through the window. It was pitch black, he’d clearly turned in for the night. I started walking back down Main St. ‘Fine then’ I thought I’d try his home. According to the Sherriff records he lived a little ways past Main St. almost near the Mayor’s house. It wasn’t too far away, so I figured I’d walk. I was glad I did too because lo and behold, Michael Tillman was walking out of Charlie’s Guitar’s at that exact moment.

He had nothing in his hands, which peeked my curiosity. Why was he in Charlie’s shop? He was far away enough that by the time I was within ear shot he was already in his car and heading in the opposite direction. 

Not a problem, I’ll go see him first thing tomorrow, I wanted to know more about this guy before I tried to force him to take responsibility for two kids. So I walked over to the shop and headed in. 

“Hey there” I said as friendly as I could. I’d tried the ‘cop tone’ before and knew it didn’t work on this guy.

He seemed surprised to see me. 

“Well hello, Sherriff.” 

“I just saw Michael Tillman leaving here empty handed, you guys friends or something?” 

He made a face that made me want to punch him again, it was a bit too cocky. Maybe Gold was justified in hating this guy.

“He’s a decent fellow, and a fellow musician… what’s he done that has the Sherriff looking for him?” his whole demeanor was very flirty. This guy was definitely a player. 

I wasn’t going to give anything away. 

“Let’s just say I’m getting to know the town a little better”

“I feel left out, you’ve never tried to get to know me better” there was that flirty smirk again. 

I rolled my eyes but couldn’t stop myself from giving the smallest of smiles at his terrible pick up line. I’ve known guys like this my entire life. 

“Yeah. Back to Michael Tillman, what exactly was he in here for? I didn’t see him walking out with a guitar or anything.”

“Well fifteen minutes earlier you would have seen him walking in with one” he motioned to an Acoustic, with two snapped strings hanging off the side of it. “I do repairs, re-stringing and anything the like…”

I looked at him a little curiously. He had one hand. 

“I make my own brand of strings and do the re-stringing myself. I’m rather talented even if I do only have one hand” 

I was a little embarrassed, either this is a question that he has to deal with all the time or he’d caught me glancing at his left wrist. Regardless, I felt rude. I wanted to change the subject.

“Impressive. I used to play the acoustic when I was younger”

That seemed to have peaked his interest, his eyebrows went up a little. 

“Did you? And you don’t anymore?”

“I lost it years ago, and then Bail bonds took over the majority of my free time, money’s money after all”

“Well that’s a poor excuse, that’s the one thing my handicap has cost me. I can repair, restring… but two hands are definitely required for the actual playing”

He had a point and I felt like an idiot again. 

“So why do you run a shop then?” 

He looked around almost confused before he could answer me, his eyes landing on the guitar behind the glass case, the one that had ‘J O L’ printed across the front. “They’re lovely instruments, beautiful to look at” His voice was very quiet as if he was trying to figure something out. 

A minute later he quickly collected himself and was back to being the cocky, flirty man I’d just been talking too. He gave me another half-smile like he’d just thought of a good joke. And walked over to the nearest acoustic taking it off its mount. 

“Why don’t you give it a try?” he said as he handed it over by the neck. 

My face reddened, I hadn’t played in years, not since before I got into Bail bonds. I would have completely opposed, but the expression on his face changed my mind, he was looking at me like he was daring me to a challenge. 

I gave him my best ‘I’m better than you’ smile and played one of the more complex songs that I knew. He was clearly impressed and when I’d finished we both laughed for a minute. Maybe this guy was alright after all. I hadn’t laughed in weeks, a least not since Graham had died. 

After I handed him back the guitar I remembered why I had come. Michael Tillman. I was almost embarrassed at how distracted I’d let myself get, I was the Sherriff and I had a job I was trying to do.  
I said goodbye to Charlie and headed out the door and down a few blocks to Tillman’s house.


	4. The Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This one takes place during the episode 7:15

Emma's POV:

Things had worked out well between the two kid’s and the Mechanic. After a lot of convincing and then a rather risky move, tricking him into seeing them before I took them out of town for good, he’d decided to step up. 

The following week was relatively calm after that. 

That is until Regina approached me and told me about some guy she’d never seen before hanging around Henry. I’d seen him drive into town a couple nights ago. I didn’t think much about it. He drove in on a Motorcycle, I hadn’t given it much thought, but talking to Henry was raising some flags for me too. What if this guy was some kind of freak?

I’d kept an eye on him after that. What caught my attention the most was the fact that he always carried around this big wooden box. What the hell was that about? One evening when there was a storm coming I went up to him and asked him what was in the box. 

It ended up being a type writer. 

This guy was a little… off. Charming, but definitely not my type. Regardless I’d promised him a drink at some point. I guess he was kind of interesting to talk to.

Once I left Granny’s I looked up at the clouds and became a little concerned for Mary Margaret’s sake. She was going through her own issues right now with David, but before I’d left earlier she’d said something about bringing an injured bird back out to where she'd found it. I hoped she’d be okay, the clouds coming in looked rough.

Just as I made my way past the entrance of Granny’s patio fence, I ran dead smack into Charlie, who seemed to have just come out of the Rabbit Hole. 

“Hello there, love. Didn’t mean to nearly knock you down. You alright?”

“Yeah I’m fine.” 

August came up from behind me “See you soon for our drink, Sherriff” and then made his way around me, back to his motorcycle and headed off down the street.

That caught Charlie’s attention. 

“Already got yourself a hot date, yeah?” he said with too much amusement in his tone.

I wanted to change the subject. 

“You ever seen him before? Apparently he’s new in town.” 

“Well I can’t say I recognize him and he’s never been in my shop before.” At that point he seemed like he wanted to change the subject as well. “Michael Tillman was in earlier however, apparently he’s now the proud father of two preteen children curtesy of a nosy Sherriff. What exactly did you do, Swan?” He laughed a bit. 

“People change. I guess he just felt like stepping up” I didn’t really want to get into the whole story of what I did or why. I hated talking about my past.

“I’m sensing a bit of projecting, love. The Mayor’s been on the war path when it comes to Henry ever since you showed up in town. After you came into my shop last week she had Sidney Glass come in and ask me a couple of questions.”

I rolled my eyes.

“Of course she did.”

As I spoke the rain started coming down in sheets.

I wanted to know what Regina was trying to figure out now, so I was glad when he invited me into the shop that was just a few minutes away, to escape the rain.

Once we were inside, he immediately headed to the back and came back out with a bottle of Whiskey and two tumblers.

“Don’t make a man drink alone, Swan.” 

Why not? I thought as lightning lit up the sky through the shop windows.

“So what exactly was Sidney asking?”

I sat down on a stool near one of his work tables while he sat on the opposite side and poured the brown liquor, sliding one my way across the table. It was good, He must have had it for a while, I eyed the date on the bottle. 1983. Wow. 

“I never would have taken you for a Whiskey guy.” I said blandly, taking a small swig of the drink.

“I’m not. More of a rum fan. But I’ve had this for a while and you strike me as a Whiskey drinker, besides with your current lineup of dates, when else will I get a chance to have a drink with you.”

I smiled and brushed the comment off. Classic pissing contest, of course. 

“So what exactly did Sidney ask you?”

“Just why you were in here and if you had any intentions of stealing the Mayor's son”

“Did he really ask about that last part?”

Now he laughed.

“No, but Sidney’s not one for subtly and I recently ran into Dr. Hopper at that Italian restaurant down the street. Bit of advice, love; never go to see him. For a guy who’s supposed to be under confidentiality laws, the man sure talks quite a bit.”

Oh no. I was silent for a minute. I knew the town already knew that Henry was his patient but I didn’t want people thinking he was crazy, and after everything that had happened with the mines a month ago… 

He seemed to have read my silence correctly and his voice was a bit more delicate when he continued.

“That boy of yours certainly has an imagination. I wouldn’t worry too much about it, I think the whole fairytale counterpart thing is rather creative for a ten year old.”

I was feeling a bit defensive of my kid. 

“I wonder who he thinks you are.”

He took a long drink from his glass and looked down at the space where his left hand should have been.

“Probably Captain Hook.” He laughed and then smiled at me, I couldn’t help but laugh too. Charlie being Captain Hook would make sense in Henry’s world. That kid really does have one hell of an imagination.

I told him a bit more about who Henry thought the rest of the people in town were; Mary Margaret being Snow, Regina being the Evil Queen. 

After hearing about the way he’s dealt with Gold and his refusal to tell Sidney Glass anything about me, there was a bit of trust growing there. I was even impressed by the fact that he wouldn’t tell Sherriff-me anything about his feuds. This guy lived by his own rules and I respected that. It’s how I’d lived my life up until I came to this town.

We started talking about music and instruments again at one point, and I tried not to notice when he’d stare down at his wrist again. It caught me off guard when he answered the question that I hadn’t asked.

“Infection. I injured my hand and before I knew it; it led to necrosis and there was nothing the Doctors could do.” 

“I’m sorry” I didn’t know what else to say.

“I’ve learned to deal with it. What bothers me more is that I can’t remember exactly how the Injury happened… Perhaps there is a curse” 

I tried to lighten the mood.

“That’s the third time I’ve heard someone say that this month. If one more person says it, I’m going to start believing it.” 

We both chuckled again. I looked up at the clock and couldn’t believe how long I’d been here, not that I minded, this had been one of the nicer nights I’d had in a long time. Then I remembered Mary Margaret and my concern came back. I hoped she was back at the loft by now. 

The Storm had seemingly passed and I thanked Charlie for the Drink’s, I was glad that the Loft was only a few streets away. I did have the smallest of buzzes going on. 

“I’ll see you around, Swan” He said as I made my way out the door. I gave him a nod and headed out back towards the loft.


	5. 'Bug' Me Any Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This takes place during the episode 'Fruit of the Poisonous tree'. Anyone who's a die hard fan of season one can see where I'm going with the 'Bug' comment. -Coming up in the next couple of chapters.

Charlie’s POV:  
I hadn’t seen Sherriff Swan since the storm a few days ago. I was happy she’d come in, the evening had turned out rather nice.

I was surprised at my own irritation when the Stranger in town had asked her out on a date so, I’d been appeased when she’d ended up spending the evening in my shop. 

She was a very attractive woman and surprisingly easy to talk to. 

So after not hearing from her for a few days I was rather let down.

Even more surprising was the next time I saw her she was hanging around with Sidney Glass. An interesting development. She didn’t truly believe that Sidney would ever betray Regina, did she? He’d been Regina’s Lackey for as long as I could remember. 

I had an inexplicable desire to remind her of this, but I couldn't seem to figure out an excuse to stop by the Sherriff Station to talk to her and on top of all of that, there was also the fact that regardless of what ever type of friendship I thought I had with Emma, If she was trying to dig something up on Regina with Sidney, it wasn’t my business to join in and help. I had no qualms with the Mayor, nor did I intend to start one. I had enough troubles dealing with Gold, who was very often in league with the Mayor as well.

A few more days passed normally until one night, after cleaning some of the merchandise and windex-ing the glass case that held my most prized guitar, I was about to close shop and head over to the Rabbit hole for a few drinks when Swan came bursting through the door.

“I’m taking her down!” she huffed.

“My door? Yes, yes, you nearly did.” I said with a laugh and she turned back to see the bell that had previously been on the door, rolling over to the other corner of the room. 

“Sorry… I’ll... fix that. I meant Regina”

I hopped down off the stool I’d been standing on and threw the rag I’d been using over my shoulder.

“You do seem a bit more upset than usual.”

“She tried to have me killed!” 

My eyebrow shot up. The mayor may have had a questionable side but murder seemed unlikely.

“Bit of an excessive statement don’t you think?”

“She knew I was following her and cut my break line, I almost ran into a tree.”

That gave even me pause. That sounded like something more along the lines of what Gold would do. 

“Are you alright?”

“Yeah, Sidney and I made it out fine, I just can’t believe she would go that far!”

“You’re sure it wasn’t Sidney who did it? Why exactly are you working with him?”

She looked at me like she was questioning my sanity.

“He was in the car with me, he wouldn’t try and kill himself.”

I walked over to the supply closet and put away my rag and cleaning spray. She walked over and sat down on the stool where she'd sat during the storm.

“I think your underestimating him, love. He’s been working with Regina for a very long time, it’s suspicious to me that all of a sudden, now that you’re here he has the sudden urge to turn on her.”

That made her think.

“I don’t know. Desperate people do desperate things and Regina fired him from the Newspaper where he’s worked for however many years.”

“Even so, I’m afraid I still have my doubts. What exactly was the reason you decided to team up with him?”

“He told me he has proof that Regina’s hiding something and he does, I found out when I”

She cut herself off, whatever it was that she was going to tell me, she thought wiser of it before she began again.

“Let’s just say I have some pretty irrefutable proof that he was right. She’s using tax payer money to build herself, what looks like a second house.”

“I’m telling you, love, don’t trust Sidney, in all my years living here I’ve seen him reproached, refuted and even humiliated by the Mayor many times and not once have I ever seen a look on his face where he wanted to act on it.” 

I was distracted by my own words for a moment, why was I talking about betrayals like I’d seen hundreds of them.

She gave me an odd expression, like she’d also been wondering why I was talking like that. She half smiled, one eyebrow raised.

“Okay, Captain Hook, I guess I’ll take your word, since you’re clearly familiar with the look of mutiny.”

‘Captain Hook’ I rolled my eyes at our inside joke. Though I did slightly take offense, if I believed in nothing else; it was to trust your instincts. 

“I’m just saying don’t do anything rash, and also, that Sidney Glass’ word isn’t worth much.”

“Thanks for the tip.”

Now she seemed offended. She was quick to get up from her seat and head for the door. Before she made it to the door she seemed to have regained her composure. 

“Sorry for dropping in and bugging you like this, Mary Margaret is… busy right now.” 

Ah, the School Teacher. I’d heard about that too, A few days ago when I was closing up the shop I’d seen her with the newly woken coma patient, who was apparently a married man. They’d shared a kiss near the very end of Main St. Discretion is definitely not either one of the two’s strong suits.

“Feel free to ‘bug’ me any time” I said in a bit of a mocking tone, attempting, and sadly failing, to flirt with her.

Something about what I had just said seemed to linger on her mind. She brushed it off though and headed out the door again.


	6. Skin Deep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is set during 'Skin Deep'

Another couple of weeks had passed by. Emma came in every once and a while, I never minded, quite the opposite actually. We spoke of the events of the town. She was quite an angry thing. Regardless of what ever conversation we were having there was always a two minute long vent about Regina and how she was insane.

I never minded, it always made me laugh. other than the topic of Regina, she’d speak of her son and her concern for his fairytale obsession. Apparently, she had mentioned me at one point and he did in fact think that I was Captain Hook. We’d both had a good laugh over that one.

I was getting rather used to her company. During my time here in Storybrooke, I’d never quite had friends or a girlfriend, to my own shame I was known for sleeping around a bit though. But in terms of friends? I mean, there was always an acquaintance or two I’d go out and have a drink with after hours, but there’d never been anyone who I’d been able to open up with about my views on certain things. Having her around was like a breath of fresh air.

I believe I may have even come dangerously close to becoming a sap. 

It was near the time of the month were Gold usually attempts his extortionist nonsense and yet there’d been no sign of him. I even reviewed the many surveillance tapes looking for anything unusual. Nothing. 

I was pleasantly surprised when I came across the tape that surveyed the inside of the shop. It had one of the time’s that the Sherriff had come in. We’d talked for a few hours and I challenged her to play a complicated song on one of the Guitar's. She not only mastered it beautifully, but I got to see one of her all too rare smiles.

I froze the screen on the VHS player and later on, managed to get a printed copy of the photo of her playing and smiling on tape. It was a lovely picture, she’d been sitting there smiling and strumming away. I was off to the corner of the image looking at her with a grin of my own. Something about the sight of the picture warmed my heart. I kept it on a dresser in my one bedroom apartment that was above the guitar shop, the apartment was so empty, the once white walls were tinged yellow with time. 

I found myself staring at that picture far more often than I’d like to admit. 

As I said though, it’d been quite some time now since she’d stopped in and I was beginning to miss her. 

But just as well, I was also on the lookout for Gold. The one thing I respected about our feuds was that he was quite punctual. The second week of every Month, that’s usually when he’d show up with his threats. 

I’d been confused about his sudden absence until Swan showed up and made my day.

“I arrested Gold” she’d declared rather proudly. I couldn’t do anything but smile at her like an idiot for a solid minute.

“If ever I’d heard good news” I managed to get out with a laugh.

“Yeah, well I caught him nearly beating Moe French to death in his cabin in the woods.”

“That’s not surprising, Moe, much like myself, is one of the very few people who are essentially at the end of our ropes with his nonsense.”

She smiled and looked down. Proud of herself. And I was glad; she should be, this town has become a better place since she showed up. I was in such a good mood, I was even feeling extra flirty. 

I walked over to the glass case, opened the hinged door and pulled out the ‘J O L’ (the only thing I’ve thought to call it over the years) strided back over to her and handed her the lovely instrument. 

She looked at me a little incredulously, she must have realized just how important that instrument was to me and she played a bit of a tune, smiling freely all the while. 


	7. Drink's

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Set during 'What Happened to Frederick'

Emma's POV:

I did end up going out 'for a drink' with August. I did have to admit the fact that the drink took place at a Well, was kind of charming. It seemed like a bit of a line though, especially the whole 'water runs under all magical towns' or what ever it was he had said. Between the kid's crazy theories and this guy I was getting Magic-ed out. Yeah this town was a bit on the creepy side but come on... 

When our drink was over I really needed a bit of reality, lately I've been finding that a lot in the form of Charlie Johnson. He was the only person in town who, instead going along with the 'maybe it could be possible' line of thought, usually just took it as the kid having a creative mindset and we'd have a laugh about it and some of the other problems in town. 

Charlie was flirty, but what I liked the most about him was that he was a realist. Not too long ago, I'd stopped into the shop because Mary Margaret had wanted the evening alone with David before he snuck back off to his wife's house. I didn't care, she was a grown woman and she could do what she wanted. I'd given her my two cents on the subject and she decided not to take it. Well, whatever... you only live once and god knows I'd had my share of one night stands in my life. 

I checked myself after starting down that line of thought though, I didn't need a guy right now, I had to think about my kid, besides I liked having Charlie as a friend. Nothing we ever spoke of left the shop and I could tell he was beginning to trust me more too.

After August dropped me off back at Granny's, He took off down the street, saying he wanted to talk to Mother Superior about something. I wondered what he wanted to talk to a Nun about. Was he religious?

Again, not my business. I made my way down the street towards Charlie's. I was surprised to find him in a bad mood after coming in and taking my usual seat across from his work desk. 

"What the hell, Sherriff?"

The question surprised me. I'd told him a few days ago I was going out for a drink with August and he'd made an off hand joke about it, he did seem a bit jealous, but it's not like we were dating. Besides, that was days ago, what was he mad about now? 

Then I noticed the paper he was reading. Big bold letters stood out on the page. 'Mr. Gold accepts plea bargain for attempted homicide, gets off with minimum fine from the DA' 

Ah. Yeah, I definitely should have warned him about what was going on with Gold. In my defense I couldn't have imagined he'd get off so easily. How many people in this town owed him favors?

"There was nothing I could do, I gave the DA my testimony and all the evidence I found, including the bloody cane that was used in the assault. The guy has some serious connections."

He sighed, frustrated. When he spoke again his voice was calm.

"He should have gotten at least a couple months’ worth of prison time... That bastard's just going to keep getting everything he bloody wants!" his tone got angrier and louder towards the end of that sentence and I was surprised; there was something almost lethal about his expression. 

"Charlie, calm down. I wasn't happy about it either but I've got eyes on him and while he was dealing with the DA I set up my own surveillance system across the street and the back entrance from his Shop."

He put his hand over on his forehead, trying to calm down. He finally took a long breath and looked at me apologetically.

"Sorry love, didn't mean to shout. I've just been dealing with that bastard for too long..."

His eyebrows came close together and he looked away, like he was trying to figure out some puzzle.

"It's alright, I'm not the biggest fan of his either." I spoke a bit quieter, trying to lighten the mood.

He still had a confused look on his face so I decided to change the subject. 

"So, I went out for a drink with August today" I gave him a look after I spoke, to let him know I was going somewhere with this. 

That seemed to do the trick, he looked up at me amused. "At 1:00pm? Well isn't he quite the romancer."

I laughed "Yeah, wanna know where we went for drinks?"

He nodded, waiting for the punch line. 

"A Wishing Well"

He laughed. "I take it back, perhaps he does know what he doing. That's a rather daring move"

I laughed again too.


	8. Miners Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This takes place during the episode 'Dreamy'. Heads up; This is a really big chapter.

Charlie POV: 

My outburst about Gold had been embarrassing. I can’t believe I'd lost my temper that way in front of Emma. I don’t know why the thought of Gold sent my blood boiling like it did. We were always feuding, but my reaction to his 'slap-on-the-wrist' sentence had been a bit extreme.

She’d made light of it however and gone on to tell me about her date with August. I could tell she wasn’t all that interested romantically. 

That was a few days ago.

Miner’s day was fast approaching. I’d never gone much during previous years, It was a bit too family-centric and I had no family.

I was walking into Granny’s for breakfast just as Henry was heading out and towards the bus stop. Leroy, the town drunk had a bit of an argument with the Pharmacy Store owner. I turned away from the argument. Bloody hell, the Drunk couldn’t just move down a seat for Clark?

I looked away not wanting to get involved. After ordering myself a coffee I looked around and to my pleasure I spotted Swan drinking her own in the far back corner. 

She looked up and her smile was welcoming enough to let me know that she wouldn’t mind the company. We had a rather good understanding of each other at this point.

So, I made my way over to the table where she was sitting. 

“Morning, Sherriff”

She smiled again, I never called her Sherriff when it was just the two of us. 

“Hey, Charlie” she said with her trademark sarcastic smirk. 

I was about to mention something about seeing her son moments ago when someone walked through the entrance to Granny's. 

“Excuse me” she said with a nervous cough. The Diner went even quieter and I looked over to see Emma’s School Teacher roommate in the doorway. I looked back to Emma, her expression was that of pure pity as she looked over at the nervous woman, who continued with her announcement.

Mary Margaret went on a bit too long about how she needed help selling candles for Miners Day and I also felt pity for the poor woman. 

I saw a few customer’s looking away in disgust. That’s right, I’d nearly forgotten about how she’d been caught with the Married man, David. This Town was far too small. The fact that everyone knew about this tiny scandal had me rolling my eyes. I saw Emma glance over at me and smile again, like she was on exactly the same train of thought, before returning her gaze to Mary Margaret.

When she’d finished her speech, there was an awkward silence in the room and Emma’s face fell. This was one of the very rare times where I couldn’t think of anything to say. It only got worse when Leroy got up and Mary Margaret initially thought he’d wanted to sign up for her cause. 

Emma gave me an apologetic look. “I’ll stop by your shop later on”

I nodded and watched as she made her way out the door following quickly after her friend.

Though I felt badly for the poor School Teacher, she made me think of Miners Day again. I doubted Emma would be going, but perhaps I should go this year. Maybe I’ll ask Emma when she stops in later on.

\---

Noon came and went. The only customer I had was Christopher, who worked at the Flower Shop a few blocks away. I knew this guy was a rat, but he was also a regular. Not only did he keep me informed about Gold for a small charge but he'd also come in every couple of months and get his strings replaced. 

He’d always come in with gossip about the town as well. The man was worse than an old woman. 

We had a bit of a begrudging friendship, I knew I couldn’t trust the man with anything that I said. So I was always cautious of what I told him. The only good aspect of our friendship was that, for a bit of money he would always give me the heads up on when Gold was planning his next attempt at my shop. 

Because of that, I’ve had to keep up the notion of friendship with this guy. Once a week, we’d go and get drinks at the Rabbit Hole Bar, while he would always make sad attempts at flirting with some of the women in town. He always went home alone. 

While I was examining the broken strings on his instrument I noticed the placement of where they were broken. Down near the bridge. They’d clearly been cut, which meant he had info on Gold, if I was willing to put up some money for it. I wondered if he even actually knew how to play.

“So, Chris, what do you have on Gold? I’ll give you the usual fee.”

He smiled. He must’ve had something really good. He seemed more proud of himself than usual. 

“I want double the usual this time.” 

I raised an eyebrow as I looked at him, Irritated. His face fell a bit and he must have seen the argument I was about to make because he was quick to amend his statement.

“Fine, just ten percent more.”

I sighed but went over to the register and pulled out his usual fee and ten percent more. His face lit up again before I made my way back over and handed it to him.

“Fine, but this had better be worth it.”

I’d barely been able to finish my sentence before his excitement got the best of him and he was pouring into his latest news with enthusiasm. 

“You know the big story in town with the School teacher, The Coma Patient and his Wife?” 

I almost cut him off there. I didn’t pay him for gossip. I paid him for information on when Gold was going to go after my shop again. He must have read my expression because he sped over the suspense he was trying to build.

“Well I was watching Gold’s car, Moe had told me to- he’s just gotten out of the Hospital recently. I was following keeping my distance. He’d been following the Wife- David’s wife’s car. I guess she’d been leaving town after everything that happened- Anyway, some of his guys were waiting by the line that heads to the edge of town, when I saw him signal to them and they went down that road that Katherine had just been on. I kept following him after that and guess where he goes…”

I was still failing to see why this was of any interest to me. 

“I hope you're going somewhere good with this”

His eyes went wide.

“The Mayor’s office.”

I looked at him in disapproval. 

“I just gave you ten percent extra for that? Why should I care that the Mayor is in league with Gold, I’ve known that for years and as for Katherine- Gold has dealings with everyone.”

He seemed to see my point. 

“Well, I just think that something big is going to happen. I’ve always trusted my gut about that, besides I know you're friends with the Sherriff. I thought you’d want to know what was going on with the Mayor and the Sherriff’s Roommate”

Now I was annoyed; Useful information: sure. I’ll pay more for that but this was ridiculous

“Chris if you’re going to charge me for Information again. Next time at least make sure it’s relevant to me. I’m not paying you for gossip”

With that I told him I’d have new strings done for him in a day or two and to pick it back up then.

The Evening came and went and there was still no sign of Swan. She must have gotten caught up in work. I was thinking about dropping by the Sherriff station when through the shop window I could see Emma’s yellow bug pass by, and by her side once again, was Sidney Glass. 

Was she really still working with him? I’d warned her to be cautious of him. She clearly was not taking my advice. 

Well I wasn’t going to get on the Mayor’s radar now. She’d always left me alone and I could appreciate that if nothing else. Perhaps Emma would stop by tomorrow. 

\---

The morning was foggy when I woke up in my one bedroom apartment. It was officially Miners Day, not that I cared, the Town however, was making their annual fuss about it.

On my way to Granny’s I passed the Park, it was decorated with glittered banners and stalls and booths everywhere. Some of the townsfolk were already there setting up their booths and the products they wanted to sell. 

When I finally reached Granny’s I was disappointed to see that Swan was nowhere to be seen. Peculiar, since I’d noticed she’d taken to coming here in the morning. 

I was nearly through with my Coffee and Breakfast when she did finally come in. She spotted me immediately at the table where we’d sat the day before and made her way over a little too quickly. It seemed like something was on her mind.

She sat down like she had the world on her shoulders and flagged Ruby for her usual Coffee.

“What’s on your mind, love?”

She definitely seemed out of sorts. She ignored my question. 

“Sorry for blowing you off yesterday. Someone went missing.” She didn’t go into details and I didn’t want to press her about it.

“No problem, I had an exciting total of one customer yesterday.”

She laughed at that and I was glad I could take her mind off of the grim subject. 

“Business is Booming, huh?” she laughed again.

I rolled my eyes and thought of the very, very few customers I had. I wondered if I gave her a free instrument; would she stop by more often? I knew it was a bold move but why not. I remembered her smile and her expression when she was playing in the Shop.

“You’re a musician.” I stated. 

She looked at me and wondered where I was going with this. 

“Perhaps you’d stop by more if I gave you a free guitar.”

She looked at me, trying to figure out if I was joking. 

“I’m serious, love. You play beautifully and yet you don’t own one. It would be my pleasure” She hesitated again like she didn’t want anyone to know too much about her past. Her walls were up. I understood the feeling, as I thought about my missing hand, it hindered me from a lot, most specifically my love of Music and playing. I was speaking before I caught myself. “You should appreciate that you can" I stopped myself mid-sentence in disbelief that I’d just said that aloud.

She looked at me, her eyes wider than usual. I saw her glance at my left wrist. I was about to back track a little and make a joke about what I’d just said, when she beat me to it.

“Alright, but I want the yellow Acoustic that you keep by the door.” She spoke with a challenging grin. 

I appreciated the kindness of her veering away from the subject I’d brought up; my inability to play. I was quick to respond to her stament.

“I’ll have her polished and ready for you by the afternoon” 

With that, I got up just as Ruby was delivering her Coffee and headed out the door. I knew which Guitar she’d been referring to and it would be stunning by the time it reached her hands. 

I spent most of the morning polishing and re-stringing the yellow instrument, while it was placed in a holder that was necessary due to my handicap. There was nearly half an inch of dust on the wooden surface. I wondered why she would want a yellow guitar and then I remembered her car. Yellow must be her favorite color. 

I had the television playing in the right hand corner of the room, while I worked. The weather was supposed to be fine for the next couple of days. 

I was surprised when Leroy and Mary Margaret showed up a little after noon time. They asked if I wanted to buy some candles. My initial response would have been a no but I thought of the Diner yesterday morning and I bought one out of pity. I doubted she’d sell more than ten with her current reputation in town and after they left, went back to Emma’s gift. 

By the time I was done it looked brand new. I was impressed with my work and looked up at the clock. It was nearly four O’clock. Where was she? Was she really blowing me off again?

My Shop phone rang just then. I was relieved and appeased that it was her.

“Hey, Charlie, I got held up at work again, can I make it up to you? I’ll stop by the Shop tomorrow morning with some Coffee.”

I was disappointed of course but there was something in her voice that sounded so unusually stressed out that that I couldn’t not forgive her. 

After working all day, I thought I’d get some air. The festival was still going on. While it had never been my sort of event, I decided why not? I threw a sheet over Emma’s guitar so it wouldn’t collect any of the dust that I’d so carefully cleared it of and made my way to the Park.

As I approached it, I noticed that there were no lights what so ever, instead nearly every person in attendance had a candle lit. 

It was a beautiful sight to see, like staring into a field of fireflies. I realized that Leroy and Mary Margaret must have sold out and was glad that things had turned out the way they had. 

As I finally reached the park I saw Emma drive up in the Sherriff’s car. I’d thought she’d been busy? She didn’t notice my presence but I could hear everything she was saying as she approached David, the man who’d been in the coma.

“I need you to come to the Sherriff’s Station and tell me everything”

With that she gently grabbed the man’s arm and led him to the backseat of the vehicle. I stood confused for a moment before it hit me.

She’d mentioned a disappearance earlier in the day, Christopher was telling me about David and Katherine yesterday. 

She was arresting David for Katherine’s disappearance.


	9. Murder

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Set During 'Red Handed'
> 
> and yes, the red cloth is Ruby's cloak. 
> 
>  
> 
> Comments are appreciated, good or bad!

I headed back towards the Shop after witnessing the arrest. Most of the town had started to close their booths and head home.

I wasn’t quite sure what to do with the information I’d learned. 

On one hand Christopher had told me that Gold had been tailing Katherine the night (I assume) of her disappearance. Then he’d gone on to the Mayor’s office. 

This made little sense. I decided I would keep the information I’d attained to myself. Perhaps it could be of use to me in the future, but right now I wasn’t sure of anything besides the fact that David was surely not Katherine’s Murderer. 

I’d made it past Granny’s by this point, just barely knocking into an enraged Ruby, the most scantily clad of all the waitresses in town. 

Her arguments with Granny were hardly a new thing. The one thing I did catch however, was the huffed out, angry ‘I QUIT!’ she’d barked just before making it out the door. 

I rolled my eyes, she’d surely be back by tomorrow morning. These fights were hardly rare.

\----

Emma did indeed come into the Shop the next morning bearing two cups of coffee from Granny’s. 

There were bags under eyes. I could tell she’d clearly had a long night, no doubt questioning David Nolan on his where-abouts the night of his wife’s disappearance. I was surprised that that wasn't all that the night had had in store for her.

“So now Ruby’s staying with us.” She said with the smallest amount of irritation in her voice. It was a cold morning and she gripped her coffee with both her hands as she sat across from me at my work desk.

“Dare I ask how that came about?”

“I don’t know, something about a fight with Granny. Mary Margaret invited her to stay with us and now she’s looking for a new job.”

She seemed exhausted while she spoke continuing on about everything going on with David and her Roommate. I decided it would be wise not to mention anything about the information I’d obtained until it was crucial. I was sure she could handle herself against Gold and Regina but that didn’t mean I wanted to throw her or myself into their paths unnecessarily. 

Besides what I knew, I also realized that I didn’t know Mary Margaret very well, but I had some severe doubts that she of all people would be capable of kidnapping someone.

“And now the Town thinks that either David or Mary Margaret had something to do with Katherine’s disappearance.”

“The truth has a way of coming about, love. I take it you’ll be rather busy for the next couple of days.”

“You can say that again”

“How about a bit of stress release to take your mind off of it?”

She eyed me skeptically. I was quick to motion to the bulky shape on my other work table, her gift was still underneath the heavy cloth. I got up from where I was sitting and removed the red cloth from atop the instrument. She’d absent-mindedly followed me over and I was pleased with her reaction upon removing the cloth.

Her jaw went slack, eyes wider than usual. She glanced back over to where the guitar had sat on its mantle only two days ago before focusing back on what was presented to her.

“You did this in a day? It doesn’t even look like the same…” She drifted off mid-sentence, picking it up and examining my work. She motioned her hand over the top of the fret board and plucked a few strings.

“it sounds beautiful too.” 

I smiled at her, pleased with myself. 

“It’s yours, as promised.” 

She looked back up at me with her own flirty grin before hesitation took its place and she looked at me a little nervously. 

“It’s gorgeous, but… do you mind if I keep it here for a while, at least until this case is sorted out? With everything going on right now I don’t think that Mary Margaret would be too thrilled to see that I’d just went out and got a guitar while she’s under fire for everything that’s going on right now.”

I let out a sigh, a bit disappointed, but I understood. 

“Sure thing, Love”

She gave me an apologetic look before returning to wonderment, staring at the polished, re-stringed instrument. She smiled once more before beginning to cover an old song I’d heard of. I just pulled up the closest chair and watched while she enjoyed the music she created. 

\---

I loved when she stopped by like that. She’d stayed for a little more than an hour before she had to get back to the Station.

It turned out Ruby was watching Henry there while Emma had been here. 

After she left I put the Guitar in a case for her. Throwing the thick red cloth over a chair. It was a beautiful thing. I’d acquired it from Granny herself. She’d used it occasionally as a table cloth when someone wanted to throw an event at the diner, however Occasion’s for its use were so infrequent that, when I’d seen her about to throw it out I offered her ten dollars for it. 

To my surprise one of Michael Tillman’s apprentices at the Garage walked through the door. I’d seen him around of course. 

Everyone in this town knew everyone else. He was young and I believed his name was Billy. 

“Evening, lad, what can I do for you?”

He looked a little embarrassed. 

“Uhh… Just looking around, you know my boss Mike? He’s been so busy with his two new kid’s that I’ve gotten a lot more hours at the shop”

I failed to see where he was going with this.

“Yes, Mike’s in here every once in a while. Are you a musician as well?”

“Well because of the hours, I finally have enough money to pick up one of these. I’ve always been meaning to learn. Mike said he’d teach me but I have to buy one first.”

And with that, I felt like an idiot.

I suppose that it was just that new customers were so rare. Regardless, I immediately shifted into business-mode and walked over to some of my finest Acoustics. An hour later he walked out of the Shop, instrument in hand and I felt good.

Without thinking I walked over to the ‘J O L’ and put my right hand (my only hand) on the corner of its glass case. The wood was stunning. It seemed to match the type of wood used on all the instruments. I almost took it out of its case when the stark reminder hit once again; that I couldn’t actually use it. 

I walked away from the case, my heart heavier in my chest. 

As the evening wore on, I couldn’t shake the feeling of loss that somehow, always came after I touched the ‘J O L’

I usually never minded being alone but these days I had the strangest urge for company. I was very aware that I was attracted to the Sherriff, but it went a bit beyond that. I felt there was a unique connection between the two of us. 

After six O’clock came and went, I decided I’d go and visit her at the Station.

After walking in, I witnessed a sight that nearly made me laugh because it was an all too familiar scene. She sat in silence, not noticing my entrance. She was drinking a glass of Whiskey alone in the room. Her expression looked as if she was trying to solve a puzzle.

“Evening, love”

That woke her from her daze.

“Charlie, what are you doing here?”

I wanted to lighten the mood and attempted a joke. 

“Reporting a murder, clearly” I smirked waiting for her to grin. Instead her eyes widened and she sat up.

“I was joking, Darling... are you alright?”

She let out a long sigh after relaxing back into the Sherriff’s seat, then motioned her hand to the chair across the desk. 

While I walked over, rather warily now, she reached into her desk and pulled out another glass and began pouring some whiskey in it and pushed it over towards me.

“Katherine’s dead.”

My eyes went wide and I could feel my eyebrows shooting up. No wonder she hadn’t laughed. 

“You’re sure?”

“Ruby found a human heart in a box near the spot where Mary Margaret and David used to meet, now I’m waiting on the blood work and the prints to come back from the lab”

I took a drink of the liquor, there were some questionable things that went on in this town but murder was a whole new level. Even Gold, possibly the shadiest man in town, only resorted to Arson, property damage and, as Moe French knows well, beatings. 

Speculation about David and Mary Margaret came into my mind again. Their affair had been humiliating to everyone involved, resorting in Katherine wanting to leave Town. Perhaps Christopher had seen something wrong and David actually was no victim at all.


	10. A Visit with a Crocodile

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Set during 'Heart of Darkness'

As the weeks went on the people in town became more and more certain that Mary Margaret was Katherine’s killer. Evidence had begun piling up more and more abundantly shortly after Mary Margaret’s arrest. 

Apparently the box that the human heart had been found in belonged to her and upon further investigation, Emma had even found a hunting knife hidden in their shared apartment. 

Emma seemed reluctant to tell me all of this at first, no doubt in defense of her friend. I made no judgment calls and kept my suspicions to myself. After all there was a possibility that Gold had been involved.

“I know she didn’t do it! There were no signs of a break in. This has to be some kind of set up.”

She’d come in just after she’d dealt with Regina, after she’d found the hunting knife. 

“So what are you going to do, Love? If this is a frame job, you’ve no evidence and the Town see’s Mary Margaret as being the only one with a motive for murder. I hate to cast doubt but why on earth would Regina want to frame a school teacher? Sure, she’s never been friendly with anyone, especially Mary Margaret but why now of all times? There’s no tie or motive.”

“Well thanks for the vote of confidence!” she shouted. Irritated with me.

“I’m giving you facts, darling, not opinions.” I said in a stern voice of my own. Yes I cared for her, but if she did want to figure this out she needed to be realistic.

She let out a long frustrated sigh before calming down. 

“Thanks for the help.” Her voice was heavy with sarcasm and she turned and headed for the door, nearly letting it slam off the hinges.

I rolled my eyes and watched her through the Shop window. She paused for a moment once she was a few steps away from the building and stared at the motorcycle parked in front of Granny’s, I saw her smile and head over to the Diner.

I was typically a very calm person most of the time but I was in a foul mood after her visit. 

I should have told her about the information Christopher had given me. Things were getting more and more heated. I probably will now that it seemed like any lead was better than none, even if it was information that’d come from a man who’d been following Gold for the sake of Moe French.

The extremely childish side of me had decided I was going to wait a day or two after that very pointed look she gave to August’s Motorcycle. 

I stayed in that mood for the good majority of the day, what was worse was the fact that I had no work and I’d just polished the cases and bodies of my instruments yesterday. I had nothing to do but sit around all day with my thoughts.

By four O’clock I was about to turn over the closed sign and head over to the Rabbit Hole, as I’d done so many nights before Swan came into my life. 

I’d made up my mind and shut the TV I’d been watching off, when the bell chimed on the door. 

My thought’s strayed foolishly to the Idea of it being Swan. Of course she wouldn’t be back after such a heated exchange this morning.

When I finally got back into the main store front, coming out from the back room. I froze in my tracks, my muscles locking in for whatever was coming next. 

There, standing across from me on staring at the ‘J O L’s Glass case with an enormous grin plastered on his smug face, was Gold. 

My entire demeanor changed to that of a Rottweiler ready to attack someone who’d come into my territory.

“Did I ever mention just how lovely your merchandise was?” He sneered back at me, enjoying some kind of joke that I didn’t understand.

This was highly unusual. There was something different about this visit. It almost seemed as if he just came here to revel in some kind of victory. 

“I don’t believe you have, you’re usually too busy trying to reduce it to kindling. If you’re here for your usual extortionist antic’s. I’m afraid my answer remains the same as ever.” I nearly growled the last part. How I loathed this man.

“Nothing of the sort this time.” There was that grin again, as he eyed the walls of woodwork on their mantles. I watched the snake, while he turned to face me. “Quite the opposite actually. We’ve come a long way, Mr. Johnson. I think it’s about time we settled our differences.”

He was angling at something and I stood on guard waiting for him to continue.

“We’ve had our differences for quite some time now, but I’d say it’s about time we settled that.”

“Unfortunately, my answer remains the same.” I nearly snarled through my teeth.

“Well you haven’t heard my offer yet.” 

Perhaps it was worth listening to. I kept my silence, doubting I’d end up agreeing to anything he’d offer regardless. 

He took that as a signal to continue his offer.

“I’ll leave your little Shop alone from now on in exchange for your silence.”

My eyebrow rose up.

“You see it’s come to my attention that a certain assistant at a flower shop has been keeping close tabs on me.”

What was he getting at? This was nothing new and we were both aware of that.

“My offer, plain and simple; a truce. I will leave you and shop alone and you will never have to deal with me again, as long as you keep any rumor’s you may have recently discovered about me to yourself.”

That was a rather good deal, it also confirmed his involvement in Katherine’s disappearance. I thought of the countless years we’ve been at each other’s throats and the countless repairs to guitars he’d smashed (all I’d had to do with one hand) and decided the offer was too good to pass up. 

I hesitated for a long moment before responding.

“I will accept your offer on one condition” he opened his mouth to cut me off, never one for negotiations, but my voice hardened and he must’ve realized that If he didn’t agree to my terms my answer would be a definite no. “Whatever it is that you’re up to, Emma won’t be harmed in any way.”

His answering expression was so smug and calm, it took everything I had not to attack the man.

“Why would I want to go after the Sherriff?” he spoke coolly.

It was an agreement. I nodded and he turned back to the wall, looking, once more at the big glass case and again he smiled. 

“Best of luck with your business here. I’ve always admired how you’ve run such a tight ship.”

Odd comment. 

I was still on alert, but for some reason I believed him. After all if there was one thing Gold could brag about; it was that he always honored his deals.


	11. Mad Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another huge chapter. This one's set during the episode 'Hat Trick'
> 
> Let me know what you thought, I love feedback!

With everything that was going on with Mary Margaret’s trial, it seemed that Emma had forgotten our argument the other day as she came into the shop around Eight O’clock in the morning, this time she was the one bearing coffee. 

“Hey” she huffed out in an I-have-too-much-on-my-mind kind of way. She passed over one of the cups she’d been carrying.

“Morning. Thanks, Love” I acquiesced. “Any news on Mary Margaret’s case?”

She let out a long, drained sigh. “No, I’ve got nothing, her arraignment is tomorrow morning. And you can guarantee Regina’s going to be there with a smile plastered on her face.”

“Don’t let Regina get to you, focus on helping your friend.” I didn’t know what else to say really. It’s not like these situations happened often. 

“About yesterday…” She finally broached the subject. “Sorry for going off on you like that. I get it. You were just trying to make a point” her voice was drained but still apologetic.

“Don’t worry about it. With everything going on… it’s not the easiest situation you’re in, Swan.” 

She gave me a grateful look and took a sip of her coffee.

“Well I have to get to the station. I got a lot of work I have to get to. I have to see if I can find anything to prove Regina’s framing her.” She looked over to the workbench that held her Guitar I’d cleaned up for her, I wondered if she wanted to take it. 

I cocked an eyebrow at her, questioningly. Her next question took me by surprise.

“What are you doing later on tonight? After the Shop’s closed?”

I seized the opportunity to spend time with her “I was probably going to head down to the Rabbit Hole for a Drink or two, care to join me?”

At the mention of the Rabbit Hole she’d made an unconscious expression of disapproval. I understood. If there was nothing else you could gleam from her personality it was that she was a loner, not one for crowds, probably opting to spend the night with herself and a drink than socializing with strangers at a bar. I quickly amended my offer before she could answer.

“On second thought, I probably should stay in and work on a recent order from Billy. He’s only had the thing (I motioned to the guitars strewn about the walls) for a week and he already needs two strings replaced. I’d still enjoy the company however.”

That made her look more comfortable. She smiled and answered quickly “I’ll bring the booze this time. I need a break from this trial.” 

She gave me another sharp smile before heading to the door. It was almost embarrassing how happy I was that she was coming over later on in the evening. 

A couple hours passed by and I lazed about my shop, doubtful that any customers would come in. 

I began working on the wires that needed to be replaced, I had a machine that I’d built to assist me considering that I only had one hand. 

I’d been in the back for nearly an hour when the front door bell rang once again. 

My eyebrows knit together at the sight of the man. I’d seen him in town before. Once at the Rabbit Hole, another time at the docks I’d strolled by. 

Lots of new customers this month.

He was a very strange fellow. Always alone, never bothering to interact with the other citizens in town. I believed his name was Jefferson. 

“Hi there, Charlie? I’m guessing?” 

“Indeed. And you are?” 

“Name’s Jefferson.” 

He seemed distracted. Like he had far more important things going through his mind than purchasing one of my instruments.

“What can I help you with, Jefferson?” 

Whatever it was that was distracting him, he was smooth enough to recover his focus.

“I’m looking to buy an electric guitar from you. I’m a bit of a collector” 

This was strange, but I was a business man and I wasn’t one to question money. Though, if he was a collector, why hadn’t I seen him in my Shop before? 

Regardless, I showed him some of my pricier pieces. I saw him eyeing the glass case but strangely enough he seemed to know better than to inquire about it.

The man was very much a smooth talker, we went from speaking of guitars to collectible maps to Sherriff Swan and the events going on around town. 

“Pity, isn’t it? That we have a murderer who happens to be a school teacher? Who would’ve thought?” He seemed to zone out at that line before quickly recovering. “I have a daughter at that school as well…” 

I’d never seen him with a child before. He seemed to interpret my skepticism because he pulled out a picture of a little girl. 

It seemed he was telling the truth. The photo, taken at an odd angle, was of a little brunette girl, smiling. 

“Well, I suppose I wouldn’t worry. Mary Margaret’s arraignment is tomorrow, though I have my doubts as to whether she did it at all.”

He carefully placed the photo back into his wallet and refocused on our conversation.

“I heard that Mr. Gold’s taken up as her Lawyer, Regina doesn’t seem too happy about that.”

He was fishing for something, I couldn’t tell what.

“You know, I’ve passed by a few times and I’ve seen the Sherriff leaving your Shop. Are you two..?” he trailed off suggestively.

“No, she’s just a fellow Musician. I'm fixing a guitar for her and having a bit of trouble with it.” I wasn’t entirely sure why I was lying, but there was something about this man that came off as unstable. I didn’t like the Idea of giving him information about Emma. 

I tried to veer the Conversation back towards a sale and get this guy the hell out of my shop.

“Like I was saying though, the finest instrument I have, if you’re a real collector; is this one.” I motioned to one that, while it was upper scale, was surely not the one behind the Glass case. 

He seemed annoyed with me for some reason. 

“You’re sure it’s not this one?” He pointed to the one behind the glass. 

“She’s a beauty, of course but I’m afraid she’s not for sale.” 

His answer was swift. His eyes a little bit wild.

“And why is that?”

While my guard was on high alert, I answered him honestly. “Not sure, Mate… She’s just always been my favorite”

The friendliness I’d just barely managed to begin with, was now completely absent from my tone.

He sensed my mood for what it was, but foolishly continued down another risky line of conversation. 

“If it’s not too rude of me, may I ask how that happened…? Mate.” he nodded towards my left arm. My muscles tensed, getting ready for a fight.

“Did you come in here to buy something or are you looking for something else?” Venom dripped from my tone, surprising even me, it was something I only ever used when I was dealing with Gold.

He put his hands up in a gesture of peace, making the wise decision to back away from the subject. “Just a bit of morbid curiosity. I’ll take the most expensive item you’re selling” with that he pulled out several hundred dollar bills and I took down the second most expensive Instrument in the Shop and gave him all the information about it.

I was all too happy to see the back of him. Strange man.

By three O’clock I thought I’d take a walk out towards the docks. 

One of the best things about living in a coastal town was the view of the ocean. The subject of my hand, or lack thereof, was usually one that sent my blood boiling. Though it was easy enough to talk to Swan about it. 

I spent a lot of time at the Docks. The sea has always had a calming effect on me. I lingered on the pier a bit longer than I normally would have before heading back to town. 

While passing the school, I saw the kids being let out of their classes and heading to either the bus or to their parents cars. 

I was surprised to recognize the little brunette girl, Jefferson’s daughter. She was heading over to her bike. Odd that a man with so much money wouldn’t pick his child up from school. 

I’d made it back to the Shop by this point and the little girl happened to be riding her bike across the street from me. I would have paid no mind to her if her father hadn’t been so strange this afternoon. 

A car slowed down right next to the girl. 

The conversation between the girl and the man and woman in the car was close enough to be within my ear shot. 

It was the man who spoke first “Honey, we told you we’d pick you up today, you know you have a dentist appointment.”

“I’m sorry, Dad” the little girl spoke, and I froze. 

‘Dad?’ my face paled. The man in the car was clearly her father. What in the bloody hell was going on! Why did this Jefferson guy have a picture of this girl and claim it was his daughter. 

It didn’t take me a second thought. I turned on my heel and headed to the police station. When I got there, all of the lights were on but the building was deserted. Not even Mary Margaret was in her Cell. 

“Swan?” I yelled out.

Nothing. Only my own echo rang back to me in the deserted building. 

It was getting darker outside. I noticed through the window facing the back parking spots. Emma’s bug was absent from it’s usual spot. 

There was no way I was just dropping this matter, that little girl could be in danger from that lunatic. I decided that I would seize the opportunity to find out Jefferson’s address using the Sherriff’s records. 

Graham had always been very thorough and had paperwork on nearly everyone in town. There was one major problem with my search. I only had a first name and the man had paid in cash, which meant Jefferson might not even be his first name. 

I looked around before heading over to the Sherriff’s computer data base. 

It was a shot in the dark, just typing in ‘Jefferson’ into the police data base system, but this was a small town and perhaps with a bit of luck there would be a picture along with a file. 

I typed as fast as I could, my disability hindering me again. Usually Typewriters and computers were things I avoided at all costs. Who wanted to see a man with one hand trying to type out sentences? Irritation flooded through me again, it was better than self-pity, which was usually the first stop.

Luck was on my side, it would seem. A picture and a file appeared in the system. 

The man in the picture was the man who’d come into my Shop today. I found it odd that there was no date associated with the date of the incident, but brushed it off as an error on Graham’s part.

I read the incident report that was attached with his photo. 

Tall, White Male, Dark brown hair causes public disturbance. Small child, Paige Morgan, gets off bus and is seen by neighbor’s. Child is seen being approached by described Male, claims that the Child is his daughter. The child panics, while the man continues trying to convince the girl and on lookers that the Girl is in fact his daughter ‘Grace’. The parents of the child arrive and the girl is taken home. The man; Identified as ‘Jefferson’ – no last name is given, is taken into arrest. 

I looked underneath the incident report, there were additional notes provided afterwards about his sentence.

Jefferson spent two weeks in jail. A day before his trial Jefferson is pardoned by Mayor Regina, claiming that he had been drunk during the incident and mistook the young girl for his own daughter who had died years prior.

The Family of the Child, Paige, insisted on a restraining order against Jefferson. His final Sentence involving the incident was a three month therapy sentence with Archibald Hopper.

The man was a lunatic. Even Regina must have had a soft side and taken pity on the deranged man. I imagined losing a child could have that effect on someone. 

That didn’t change the fact that the man was still claiming the little girl was his daughter and he appeared to believe it. I still had to warn Swan, or at least speak with the man myself. 

There was no date on the incident report which was extremely odd, I’d never thought of Sherriff Graham as sloppy when it came to his job. 

But there was in fact a home address listed. I scratched it down on a piece of paper.

Bloody hell, it was on the other side of town. I didn’t even know there were houses up there and I didn’t have a car. Frustrated, I exited out of the screen and made my way out of the station. 

There was nothing I could do at the moment, I’d have to wait for Swan to return. She should be heading towards my shop any moment. It was getting dark and close to the time she should be dropping by. 

I waited. A couple more hours came and went. If she was going to blow me off she would have at least called. I rang the station again. 

No answer. This was highly unusual. A few weeks ago she told me that she’d gotten a call at 3:00 AM and still, she went to the scene. She was the only Sherriff, it was her duty to always be on call.

I couldn’t sleep that night. There were too many thoughts of Swan, the Mad ‘Jefferson’, and that little girl. The night came and went and by 5:00 AM I decided I would go and have a talk with this guy, the hour be damned. 

I made my way out the door and started walking towards the address that I’d scribbled down from the police system. When I got there I couldn’t believe the sight I was seeing. The sun had just risen and there was enough light to see what was going on.

The mansion that this man lived in looked like a Hotel, but that wasn’t what drew my attention. No, it was the sight of the owner of said mansion, falling through the window from nearly a story-high drop. 

I was amazed to discover the man was still alive and I started into a run towards the scene. He must have heard my approach because as soon as I got close he shot up and charged off into the forest, leaving nothing behind but a top hat. I looked up towards the window he’d fallen out of. 

It was Swan, Swan and Mary Margaret. What the hell had I just walked into? 

I hollered up towards the Window. “SWAN? What’s going on?”

“Charlie?” she shouted back “Is that you? Stay right there I’m coming down.”

A few minutes later she was coming down the front stairs of the mansion with Mary Margaret beside her.

She walked straight towards me. “What are you doing here?”

“Long story, love. The short version. He came into my Shop yesterday and I found out some disturbing information on him. When I couldn’t get ahold of you, I thought I’d have a talk with him myself. What about you? You look like your night hasn’t been an easy one?” 

I noted Mary Margaret beside her and she gave me a nervous look. Swan looked at me and must have realized that I wasn’t supposed to know Mary Margaret was out of Prison. 

She took a step towards me and grabbed my good arm in gentle gesture. “Charlie, please, I need you to trust me. No one can know that Mary Margaret tried to run off” her gaze was so deep and so earnest I knew she could tell she had my loyalty.

Mary Margaret gave me an appreciative nod.

My voice was quieter when I spoke. “Of course, as long as you fill me in on what went on here?”

More relief than I’d ever seen on Emma’s face washed over her expression. 

“I will fill you in on everything, but right now I need to get Mary Margaret back to the station before Regina shows up looking for her”

The three of us rushed over to where her yellow bug had been parked and we all got in. We made it to the station just in time and Mary Margaret was back behind bars as if she’d never even left.

“We need to make this look legit, go get some sleep Charlie, we all need it. Meet me back here around one and we’ll talk about everything alright?”

“Aye, Swan” We all were exhausted. It had been a long, tiresome night. I walked out of the front of the Sherriff Station passing Regina in the hallway. She gave me an odd look as she passed, slightly guilty or curious or both, I chalked it up to my lack of sleep.

I would talk to Swan in a couple of hours and we would share our tales.


	12. Realization

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is the first of what might become a two-parter. It takes place during the first twenty minutes of 'The Stable Boy' 
> 
> *let me know what you think!*
> 
> I'm getting closer to the season one finale!!! big plans for that chapter!!

Emma’s POV:

I’d just slept for half a day after Mary Margaret decided to trust me and decided to go back to her cell and put her faith in me. I’d told her we were family and she really did feel like it. Sometimes I wished that Henry’s stories were real. 

The Loft was empty now, Mary Margaret being confined to the Station. 

My head reeled again from the events of the night. Not only was my best friend facing Murder charges, Oh no, now there was some Psycho on the loose who thinks he’s the Mad Hatter! 

I sipped my coffee, the chills rose on my arm as I thought about that weird-as-hell scar on Jefferson’s neck. How would someone even pull that off? And survive, no less?

I shook it off, the man was crazy. It was probably just some kind of make-up effect or something. He did seem like he had enough time on his hands.

My phone buzzed and the echo it produced made me jump. The loft was so empty. My chest tightened up against my will. Living with Mary Margaret, being around Henry, visiting Charlie, I’d forgotten how much being alone hurt.

Countless lonely nights from my childhood rang around in my head. That sadness- that was always there.

I reached over to grab the phone and my heart warmed up when I saw the caller ID. Charlie Johnson. Speak of the Devil. 

I still was at a loss to how he knew what was going on and where to find me yesterday.

“Morning, Love. Or rather, Afternoon” I looked over at the alarm clock. 12:45 PM. I didn’t realize how long I’d slept.

“Hey, I was just thinking about you” My surprise was evident in my tone, of course he took this moment to be his smarmy self.

“Were you?” I could hear the accusation in his tone. There he is. I laughed to myself. If there’s one thing this guy isn’t; it’s shy.

I chose to ignore his innuendoes, jumping straight to the point. 

“Meet me for lunch at the Diner. I want to know how you knew where I was last night.” I tried, and failed, to put some sternness in my voice

“Mine’s probably a bit simpler than the tale I’d like to hear from you, I saw a man fall out of a window, remember?”

I laughed again, this time more out of frustration. 

“Fine, we’ll swap stories when I see you. Fair warning though, it can’t be a long lunch I got get back to finding proof on Regina” 

“I’ll take what I can get.” His sarcasm was playful as usual.

Shoving the phone into my pocket, I put my Jacket on and left the empty apartment.

 

Charlie’s POV: 

I took the booth farthest from the closest couple in the nearly deserted Diner and waited with the drink I’d just ordered. 

I couldn’t help myself from checking the glass windows for any sign of swan approaching. 

Finally, I saw the familiar, hardened, blonde sheriff making a turn around the corner. 

Our eyes met for the slightest moment and she smiled. A genuine smile and I couldn’t help but return one of my own. I waited patiently as she went over to the counter and put her lunch order in before making her way over to where I sat. 

There was an amused scoff as she sat down. “Nice seating choice” 

The closest people near us were three booth’s down. 

“Slow day, I suppose. Now don’t you have a story for me?”

She told me her tale in a hushed tone. Everything from Mary Margaret’s attempted jail break, to being drugged and tied by the lunatic, to finally her escape. I was silent through most of her story, my anxiety spiking every now and then, realizing the amount of danger she’d been in. 

I’m glad I’d shown up when I did, not that it would have accomplished much in hindsight. 

“… and now I have to deal with finding this nut job as well. I don’t get paid enough” she ended with an exasperated joke.

‘Oh don’t worry, you won’t, I’ll be the one finding him’ I thought to myself. I was surprised at the level of hatred I had for the lunatic who’d so recently held a gun to her head, my desire for revenge was once again astounding me. Like it was a part of my Character, besides Gold, who I hated for reason’s pertaining to my business, I didn’t realize how far my capacity for hatred went. This Jefferson guy had better stay alert. 

Regardless of my internal feelings I didn’t want to cast appall, as I’d done before when I was talking to her about Gold. 

“I’m glad you’re alright” I managed to say in a calm tone.

She looked at me with a confused expression, perhaps trying to gauge my opinion on the matter before recovering herself and beginning her own inquisition on me.

“How exactly did you know where to find me?” she asked suspiciously. I rolled my eyes at her paranoia.

“You need better security on the police records system” She raised an eyebrow which was a signal to tell my story now. 

It seemed as though her eyebrows went higher and higher as I relayed the events of the previous day, to the strange encounter with Jefferson, to passing the little girl who I’d seen speaking with her father (the same girl Jefferson claimed was his Daughter) all the way to finding the file on him when I couldn’t find Swan around. 

She seemed strangely moved that I’d been so protective of a young girl I didn’t know. I rolled my eyes inwardly. How bad of a person does she think I am? I’d like to think anyone in my situation would have reported such a thing.

“I didn’t know you had such a soft spot” she smirked, teasing. 

Our eyes locked and I leaned in closer. 

“Perhaps you don’t know me that well” and returned a smirk of my own.

She leaned in a bit closer, unconsciously it seemed. My heart started beating like a stampede of horses. The amount of electricity in the air made me realize, we’d just moved out of the friend zone. There was no denying the attraction I felt for her. I could see it in her eyes as well. My good hand went across the table separating us and into her hair. She didn’t flinch like I thought she might. Whatever she was feeling she wasn’t denying it. 

Her eyes closed a fraction and the both of us leaned further towards each other.

“Excuse me, Sheriff Swan…” came the voice of a man who I hadn’t noticed had approached the booth.

Emma jolted to attention, her face going a bit red as she recovered herself and reinforced her authoritative Sheriff-tone.

I, on the other hand could have happily punched the man in the face. I only just managed not to let out an audible sigh and resentfully sat back up straight in the small booth.

She turned to the person who’d interrupted our moment and awkwardly rolled her eyes.

“David.” The way she said his name, I couldn’t tell if she had a personal disdain for the man or if her reaction was purely the same irritation I was feeling.

Either way she rolled her eyes. Would they ever stop rolling? She leaned to me again. “Duty calls, I have to get back to work… Mary Margaret’s in Prison.” 

I simply nodded, I also had a few things that I’d like to sort out, retaliation on this Jefferson fellow for one instance. 

She very blatantly dodged David Nolan with a hasty response, something about how Mary Margaret didn’t want to speak with him. 

My chest warmed for what felt the first time in a very long time. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt this strongly. I watched her as she rushed in an awkward manner, David tailing her, still seeking her attention about Mary Margaret. 

I pondered my new realizations as I watched her through Granny’s windows, she threw her hair into a quick ponytail as she walked across the street to her car.

Even with David trailing her, I noted she made a discreet attempt to look back through the window. Our eyes caught, and I realized she was no longer just a friend to me.


	13. Crying Wolfe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part II of the last chapter, which is still centered around the episode 'The Stable Boy'
> 
> Next chapter coming up soon! Moving on to the next episode which is centered around 'Desperate Souls' The next chapter will probably be a lot shorter, and hopefully a lot more romantic between Emma and Cha-*cough*Killian*cough*-rlie.

Emma’s POV:

Wow, I really almost kissed Charlie this morning… and at Granny’s? What the hell was going on with me? I shook it off. I don’t have time for guys right now, my friend needs me. I need to focus.

Mary Margaret was going to have Gold with her today, to do a pre-trial interview with the prosecution, and Regina (Of Course) wanted to be there.

While Gold was explaining how the Interview was a good idea, Sidney interrupted, offering a vase of flowers to brighten the place up, or something… I don’t know it was some kind of goodwill gesture or something. 

I followed him into my office away from the ears of Mary Margaret and Gold, where he explained that he hadn’t found anything on Regina so far. 

He went on about how he was going to keep looking into Regina until he found something, when the strangest thing happened. My internal lie-detector went off. 

Maybe I was just off my game today, with everything that had happened with Charlie this morning to everything that was going on Mary Margaret now, maybe there was just too much going on. I brushed my suspicions off as he left the Station.

What little hope I had for the Interview quickly tanked after Mary Margaret lost her cool at one point and basically admitted she hated Kathryn and wanted her gone. Things couldn’t be looking worse.

Charlie’s POV: 

I saw August’s motorcycle fly pass me on the street as I was walking to the Docks.

I’d been talking to Chris at the flower shop and had asked him if he knew anything about this Jefferson fellow. Apparently he’d never heard of him. 

Perhaps I should just let it go. An image of Emma with a gun to her head popped into my mind and my blood boiled just a bit. Perhaps not.

I’d gone back to his Mansion after I’d left the Diner this morning only to find it deserted. Who was I kidding? The man had assaulted the Sheriff, he’s probably left town by now. I decided that for now I’ll just keep my eyes open.

Things had been stranger in town than they’d ever been. Ever since Swan showed up in town everything seemed so much more… Alive. Which had prompted my desire to head to the Docks. 

Upon arriving there, I was immediately Irritated spotting Emma sitting with no other than Mr. Motorcycle himself. August was sitting with her on a bench. 

‘Let it go, they’re merely friends’ trying to reassure myself, none the less I couldn’t help from watching from far off. Besides it wasn’t like I’d followed them here.

She seemed annoyed with him, but my only real jealousy arose after she got on the back of his bike and they rode off together. He must be helping her with the Murder case, that’s the only thing that would prompt her into going anywhere right now, with her friend behind bars. 

I had an over whelming desire to beat him to finding something. I’d read in the paper, earlier in the day, that Mary Margaret had done some sort of interview this morning. 

‘The Storybrooke Mirror’ had always been rather biased against Emma. From when she’d first arrived in town to her debate for Sheriff, of course it would though, the paper had been run by Sidney Glass at the time. 

Thinking about Sidney I remembered the conversation that Emma and I had after she’d thought Regina had cut her break lines and I remembered the doubt I’d had over Sidney siding with Emma over Regina. 

By this point I’d made my way into the Shop and taken a seat behind my work desk. The front line of the paper read “HEARTLESS! School Teacher Jailed on Murder Charges” Of course this was news, probably the biggest news this town had ever had that didn’t involve Gold. 

Reading the article, I noticed there were more than a few lines in each paragraph concerning the Sheriff’s bias towards the case. 

I’d heard Sidney was fired from the paper but it seemed that the local news staff had retained its Anti-Sheriff Swan stance. I looked at the writer of the Article. It was written by Shep Wolfe. 

I’d heard of him before, he reminded me much of Chris. Shep was a young man, early twenties. He worked for the paper as an intern, I suppose that must have turned into a full time job after Sidney was fired. 

There was a scandal a few years ago, after he lied about Dr. Hopper assaulting his patients, in order to advance his career. He was looking for something that would get him into a publishing position. At first the people in town where appalled by our apparent, corrupt local therapist but after Hopper’s good friend Marco stood up and vehemently defended his friend they saw reason. Everyone trusted Marco and the allegations where proven to be false by Sheriff Graham. 

It wasn’t until he’d made the same false arguments against two other business owners that the citizens of the town realized the man clearly had a lying problem. Now most people just brushed off his articles as lies. 

It was harder for the people in town to brush off this recent piece however considering the overwhelming amount of evidence piling up against Mary Margaret’s case. 

I wondered if this fool could tell me anything about Sidney, though I’d have to question its legitimacy regardless. I had nothing else to do for the day. So I left the paper on the work bench and made my way down towards to the publishing office.

It was late in the day at this point, there were only a few members of staff typing away at their desks. I asked to see Shep and the Secretary led me over to him. 

The man looked at me a little nervously as I introduced myself, we’d never met in person before but he’d no doubt heard of my run-ins with Gold and knew I was not a man to be messed with. Perhaps my reputation would be enough to goad him into the truth, if nothing else.

“What can I help you with today Mr. Johnson?” 

I knew better than to give this fool any particulars of my inquiries and decided instead to rely on my reputation and the guise of small talk to get the knowledge I wanted. 

“I was hoping you could help me out with a problem I’m having. I’ve heard you and Sidney were close friends when you began working here”

He spoke with a nervously forced laugh. “Me and Sidney? No, far from it actually. The guy was a huge thorn in the side, always demanding more and more evidence with my stories” 

‘I wonder why?’ I thought to myself.

I made some implications that he’d lost a bet to me and gave an illusion that I was looking for him solely for the money he owed me. I knew my story would never make it into the paper. Sidney did have a genuine gambling problem, he and the former Sheriff would often have drinking bets at Granny’s. 

After he’d assured me he knew nothing about it I threw in a bit of small talk to get him to lighten up around me, I finally had a chance to ask some questions about Sydney’s abrupt termination at ‘The Mirror’ 

Shep leaned in close, an addict of gossip. “To tell you the truth, the guy was madly in love with the Mayor, he used to keep a photo of her on his desk like he worshipped her” 

“He must’ve truly had his heart broken after she fired him then. No wonder he’s seemed so unhinged lately” 

He lowered his voice even further to a whisper and smiled conspiratorially. “His heart was far from broken, apparently she offered him this undercover gig working just for her, and I saw him leaving her office late a couple of nights ago, there’s definitely still something going on there”

There it was. I knew a man like that would never turn on Regina.

I made light joke about the situation and casually ended the conversation and headed out the door. 

I was no sooner a few steps around the block when I crossed paths with the Mayor herself. She took notice of me immediately. 

I’d only spoken to her a few times when it came to matters of my business, she'd once come into the Shop and asked me a rather odd question about Gold and why he had such a fight with me. I’d dodged the question as I was always far from using legal action, depending, rather, on my own form of justice, however that conversation had always struck me as odd. It was years ago but there was something about the way that she was asking me, like there was something I should have known more of and on top of that strangeness, before she exited the Shop, she’d done the same thing Gold had done only a few weeks ago; She’d looked over at my walls of instrument’s and smiled, like there was some joke hidden in their presence.

I was determined to just pass her by without an exchange but she stopped me before I could pass, taking a step into my immediate path.

“Charlie Johnson” she said with an overly gleeful smile.

“Regina” I replied in monotone.

“I’ve been meaning to stop by your shop lately.”

“Why’s that, Love? Thinking about taking up the electric?” I was perhaps a bit too sarcastic there at the end. The phony smile vanished from her face.

“I’m the Mayor, ‘Rocking out’ is for teenagers and 80’s hair-bands” There was her trademark charm. I only rolled my eyes as she continued “No, what I want to know is what you were doing with the Sheriff when I showed up at the Station a few days ago?”

This would be tricky. I tried to keep my confidence in place. “The same reason anyone else would go to the Sheriff station; to report a crime.” 

The dubious look on her face made me even more cautious. She knew I usually took matters into my own hands in terms of Justice, especially when it came to my business. 

“Oh, and what crime was that exactly?”

I decided sticking to the truth was probably the safest bet. “Had a strange customer come in, went by the name of Jefferson, I’m sure you know, the man who lives in the mansion on the edge of town” For some reason her expression turned to one of guilt. No doubt she’s had some unethical dealings with the man before.

“And what exactly was the crime you were reporting”

I couldn’t see the harm in telling the truth at least on this matter.

“He was claiming he had a Daughter, who I’d seen an hour later get into a car with her real father”

She recovered herself from her guilt-ridden expression after I’d finished my sentence.

There was an awkward moment of silence before I realized I needed to make my relationship with Emma seem as neutral as possible. If she knew I was on Emma’s side. I wouldn’t be able to help Swan at all. So I changed the subject to something I knew she’d find far more pleasing to hear.

“Shame, isn’t it, about Mary Margaret? Can’t believe we’d ever have a murderer in such a small town like this” my voice was as casual as it could get and she seemed to buy my opinion on the murder trial.

“Yes, well, no one’s ever as innocent as they seem”

“Oh, I definitely believe that” Shit- I cursed myself inwardly. Her eyes sharpened on me immediately, suspicious and also completely offended.

“Well, Charlie, Have a good night polishing guitars with one hand” her rudeness, was nothing new and I merely started walking back to my Shop again.

There was only one thing I was worried about after the exchange. Like I’d realized before, any suspicion that I’d been helping Swan and that was it- She’d have me blackmailed or my Shop would certainly be out of business. 

Now the only question was, how to relay the information I’d learned to Swan without anyone thinking I was involved with helping her with Mary Margaret’s case.

 

The night came and went and it wasn’t until noon that I even saw the Sheriff. She looked exhausted and defeated, more so than I’d ever seen her.

“What’s happened?” I said as soon as she’d taken a few steps into my Store. 

“I thought I found something that was going to prove Regina guilty, but somehow she beat me to it. It’s like she knows what move I’m going to make before I even make it. I finally could’ve had solid evidence on her and somehow she beat me to it.”

Sidney Glass. He must have told her something. I ran through my years of blackmailing Gold and the mental chess we’d always play when it came to our feud. Then it hit me- Phone Tap’s and Wire Taps.

Both of which tricks I’d used in the past.

While I was pondering how to tell her anything I’d learned, she leaned onto the work bench and ran her hand over her face. “The worst part of all of this is that now I have to go tell Mary Margaret I couldn’t find anything. She’s going to lose this case.”

Her voice had genuine despair in it, I felt for her, though I said nothing. 

“Anyway, sorry to bug you about all this, I just needed to vent before heading to the Station.”

She was about to say more when I deliberately made my tone more cutting. 

“And Sidney? He couldn’t find anything to help you with all this? Is he still your ally or is he –bugging you-- with his lack of assistance?”

Her eyes darted up and her glance was as sharp as a knife. She knew what I was insinuating. Her eyes wide. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow morning” was all she said as she made her way out the door and onto the sidewalk heading towards the Station.

She’ll find something, I had no doubt.


	14. 7:00

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Moving into the next episode 'The Return' this wasn't a big Emma episode but it still might be a two-parter.

As it turned out, Sidney had in fact bugged the Sheriff Station but that wasn’t even the highlight of the current news. Shortly after, Katherine Nolan showed up out of nowhere with little memory of where she’d been or who’d abducted her.

Emma had her own Idea’s, obviously Regina, Gold was also on the forefront of the mind. 

Emma had left Katherine at the hospital this morning and promptly released Mary Margaret from her jail cell. I was happily surprised when she showed up in the afternoon.

We were talking in our usual spots by my work table. She was filling me in on details of everything that had happened over the past twenty four hours.

“Best part so far; this is all gonna come down hard on Regina. I know she must’ve changed the DNA results on the Heart we found” The smile she’d been briefly reflecting disappeared midsentence. “On the other hand, now I have another murder to look into; that’s somebody’s heart that was in that box.”

That was a disturbing fact. 

“One victory at a time, Love. Your friend is out of jail and you have more than enough evidence now to prove that Regina had played a part in all of this.”

“You know what? That is a good point” She said with a mischievous look on her face. To my surprise she got up from where she was sitting and walked over to the Guitar I’d given her. It was difficult to hide my delight seeing her strut back over, instrument in hand. “People celebrate with music, right?” she said sarcastically. I laughed and she started finger-picking a recognizable tune. 

I recognized the song and laughed out loud. She was playing a fingerstyle version of “Killer Queen” by the band ‘Queen’ 

While I was laughing she spoke over the melody. “A tribute to Henry’s Storybook theory, I’m believing it more and more when it comes to that woman.” Humor in her voice.

I have to admit she was very good. Where Freddy Mercury’s vocals should have been, her fingers captured ever cadence through the strings. 

After the song was over she placed the guitar back down, we were both still laughing as she made her way back to me. She leaned up on the side of the table that I was on and there was something in her eyes, they were softer and a little bit lighter as she looked at me. I could feel it too, the attraction, being so near to her. Her voice was soft when she spoke.

“I can’t remember if I ever thanked you for the Guitar, if not… well, Thanks.”

I got up from where I was sitting and made my way a little closer to her. We were only a few inches apart. She watched with sharp eyes and a coy smile on her face. 

Her gaze must be intimidating to most people, eyes never straying off mine as I got closer. 

“Well, it’s lovely to hear one of my Instruments being put to use instead of merely sitting on the shelves” 

Our bodies moved towards each other, our foreheads nearly touching and just as her lips where about to meet mine.

*Ringgg*

The phone on the wall went off. She jumped in surprise. I stayed still hoping whoever it was would think I wasn’t here and hang up. I hoped she’d ignore it too, but to my disappointment she straightened up and looked like she was silently chiding herself. Her eye’s widened, eyebrows coming together. “You, ugh… should get that.”

Sensing that our moment was over (before it even began) I pulled away from her and walked over to the phone. It was extremely difficult to keep the irritation out of my voice as I answered.

“Charlie’s Guitar’s.” I said, a little too coldly.

“Hi, um… Charlie right? Sorry this is Mary Margaret Blanchard, I think we’ve met before, I was just wondering if Emma was at your Shop. She said she was thinking about stopping by.” 

“Aye, just a moment” I said a little too gruffly.

I cocked an eyebrow and Emma looked at me in confusion. “Mary Margaret’s on the line for you.”

That threw her off and she pulled her cell phone out of her back pocket. Nothing but a black screen. She shook her head at herself. She must have forgotten to charge it. 

We switched places, she to the phone I passed off, while I headed back to the seat I’d previously been sitting in. I tried to give her some privacy while she spoke on the phone and took a sip of the Whiskey I’d pulled out earlier.

When she finally hung the phone back up, she smiled at me in a ‘back-to-the-friend-zone-you-go’ kind of way. 

“Apparently the town feels bad for calling Mary Margaret a murderer and Granny wants to throw her some kind of party at the Loft. She needs me to pick up a few things at the store.” 

“How generous of them.” I said it with a bit of sarcasm, a few days ago the town was ready to send her off to a life sentence with a smile, now they want to throw her a party. Emma must have read my mind because she gave me an amused grin and laughed. 

“Party’s at 7:00, you should come”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world” my voice was overly lack luster, I wasn’t fond of the people who frequented Granny’s, namely Leroy, who I was sure would be there (any chance at free booze was essentially insuring his presence)

She looked up at me a bit more playful than usual. “Come on, you got something better to do?”

Why not? I raised my glass to her as she was about to turn towards the door.

“See you at 7:00, Love”


	15. Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So, this is the second half of the episode 'The Return' which wasn't an Emma-centric episode, so I'm having some fun with it! I might even do a part III... or not. I want to get to the season one finale before season 6 premiere's on the 25th. Big, big plans for that Chapter!
> 
> Let me know What you think!
> 
> Comments are always good motivators!!

I looked up at the clock. 7:00 was nearing. Mary Margaret’s loft was only a short walk away, this was a rather small town after all.

It was a rather large turn out when I arrived. Granny, Leroy (of course) the local therapist that Emma was friends with, even the resident surgeon, Dr. Whale was here. I spied Emma pouring punch near the newly freed Mary Margaret.

After her roommate walked away she noticed me coming through the entrance and a coy expression lit her features. She looked over at her boy quickly, he seemed to be sulking about something and talking to—oh, joy… the leather clad, motorcycle-riding new comer was here as well.

I didn’t dwell on his presence too long as Swan was making her way over to me. She handed me a small cup of red juice, humor in her eyes. “Rum’s in the left cabinet if you need to spice it up.” she looked pointedly at the cup.

It was a joke, but considering the company at the party I was truly considering it. 

“And not enjoy the party to the fullest? Never” I said while giving her a light grin. I could tell the almost kiss from this afternoon was still weighing on her mind because she made a quick joke about how she might need it and proceeded to go around handing out more cups to the guest’s.

I surveyed the room quietly in the corner, when I noticed him. Gold was here. I suppose being Mary Margaret’s Lawyer, she must have had to keep up appearances and invite him. A political move. 

To my pleasure he seemed unusually pre-occupied and kept glancing back to August, while the man in question was talking to Henry. All of that broke off shortly, as Henry jumped up and presented an oversized card and small box to Mary Margaret.

“We’re so glad you didn’t kill Mrs. Nolan” She read aloud. Even I had to laugh at that one, I doubted many teachers received that type of card.

Emma looked at me and smiled again and then something else crossed her face. An expression of guardedness, as if she wasn’t sure what she wanted the relationship to be between her and I. 

A second later she turned to her son, I could hear her make out something about getting him home before Regina found out. I realized while she may have been genuinely worried about the Mayor’s knowledge of Henry at the party, she was also trying to get away from me. 

Luckily for me, someone blocked her at the door. She jumped back a little bit in surprise and I had to adjust where I was standing in order to see who it was.

Ah, Mary Margaret’s boyfriend. I tried not to watch (but couldn’t help myself) as the uncomfortable exchange occurred. Mary Margaret clearly wanted nothing to do with him and nodded vehemently to Emma. The conversation ended with David walking Henry back home.

I went to move over to speak with her when I noticed the viper-bastard, Gold beating me to her. I wondered what they were talking about and became concerned at the same time when I recognized the no-nonsense look on her face as Emma spoke. Gold had an air of joking in his response. 

They both stared at August for a moment while still speaking.

“Never figured I’d see you at a thing like this” the voice came from my right and I looked over to see Ruby, The scantily clad waitress and heiress to Granny’s dinner. She was drinking her own red juice, though I doubted that it was the same kind that Emma was handing out as it was in a martini glass.

I couldn’t help the smile that crossed my face, this was not the first time she’d attempted flirting with me. This woman was a hunter and by that I mean the ‘Notch-in-the-lipstick-case kind’ I usually played along, knowing it usually never went anywhere. Gorgeous as she was, she wasn’t quite my type. A quirky girl, but she usually went for those with a bit more money and style

“Branching out, Darling” I said monotonously. 

“I’d say. You’re practically growing mold on your forehead, cooped up in that shop of yours.”

“What can I say? It’s Home” I said in an uninterested manner. I was trying to be a gentleman; be polite but let her know I wasn’t interested, so I kept my eyes locked on Swan, who in turn kept glancing back at me.

It may not have been right, but it made me glad to see the irritation, as her glance flickered between Ruby and I, speaking so close to one another and even more happily to see her response; She walked over to August immediately and started talking, a little too animatedly. It was clearly a retaliation, which meant that I meant something to her, especially because throughout her conversation with August she kept looking back to me. 

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Ruby take notice of my attention to Emma and then she looked towards August. She took a long sip of her dark drink and breathed out, resting her elbow on my shoulder as she leaned in to whisper in my ear. 

“You know, it looks like you might have some competition over there. August has that ‘mysterious stranger-thing going on for him, might wanna act quick” 

She chuckled to herself as she made her way to the other side of the room. 

Emma had noticed the entirety of my exchange with Ruby and was now apparently giving me the cold shoulder. Guests were leaving one by one, making their way out the door until the loft was nearly deserted. 

It wasn’t until Mary Margaret whispered quietly into Emma’s ear that I decided I wouldn’t let this night go to waste or leave her under any kind of pretension that I had a relationship for Ruby. I walked over, the last two guest’s lingering near the supply of alcohol.

“Gorgeous night out, Love, care for some fresh air?” 

She looked at me in a bland way. Considering her answer. She looked torn between annoyed and wanting to solve something.

I decided to help her.

“Ruby’s just a friend” my voice was monotone, no inflection, no humor. “Like I said it’s a lovely night…” Still she said nothing, just eyeing me, trying to figure out what I was getting at? I finally rolled my eyes at the undeclared accusation of my womanizing. “We won’t go any further than the sidewalk if you’re so terrified of me” 

There we go. Finally! A reaction! She looked at me like I had just called her a coward. her chin stiffened, eyes focused.

“Fine then. It better be gorgeous out though” there was that phony-irritated tone again. I enjoyed it. That must be an effect of her ‘Super-power’. She can always tell when others are lying, so in turn, is a terrible liar herself.

I caught her smile, as she snatched her coat with too much force and eyed me while she held the door open for me.

I was quick to follow as we both walked stride in stride together down the stairs to the outside. 

She beat me to the bench just outside the loft and took a seat. I was a bit slower to sit next to her. 

“You were right” she was staring straight up, above the buildings. It was a clear night and the stars were shining magnificently. “It is a nice night out…” 

I looked up. Something about the sight of the thousands of stars and the midnight sky had always reached me on another level. Something that called down to my very being, like I had looked at them for hundreds of years. An unusual calm swept over me. 

“Indeed” was all I could think of to say while I was caught up in this strange (and out of place) swell of emotions.

“'Indeed?' Really, that’s all you gotta say after you pulled me out of a party?” She was trying to make a joke, of course, and I tried to bring myself back to reality. 

“Was the party really that much better?” I replied with a grin, thankfully we seemed to be on the same page, so I continued “So should we talk about how charming August was or how seductive Ruby was?” 

Thankfully she laughed. “Well, August was pretty Charming, but ya’ know Ruby’s got the Looks” she rolled her eyes with a smile, I laughed as well.

“She may have some looks, love, but I am just as much a fan of leather as August is” I used my one hand to tug the zipper of my jacket as I spoke. The street light above us flickered lightly, it was a nice ambiance. 

We looked at each other, that same heat between us from earlier rose again. I could feel myself being pulled toward her and her eyes shut while she leaned close to me. This time there were no phones or needy friends to come between our moment and my eyes closed too. Our lips touched and there was something surreal, something powerful, something that made me feel as if the cobwebs in my heart were burning in their corners and my heart was pounding again.

Something else was happening as well. In between the overwhelming fire and love of what I was feeling for her, there was something else, in the far reaches of my mind. It was dark I didn’t want... whatever it was to spoil the pure happiness I was experiencing but it was too was powerful and there was a flash of something a voice, my voice, yelling… “You may be more powerful now... No less a demon…” 

“What the bloody hell?” I could see ocean in that flash and felt anger. What the hell was this? Emma pulled away immediately alarmed.

“Charlie, are you alright?” She looked at me in fear and I remembered where I was. I made up an excuse to cover for my strange behavior “sorry darling, I may have put some of the Whiskey from earlier into my punch”

She laughed, but it was halfhearted. She looked half terrified and half hopeful, I hung onto the Hopeful, grasping it and clinging to reality. 

Surely it was just a long night and I was just having a strange evening. I tried not to make her feel like anything I was experiencing was her fault; her kiss was something I cherished and I didn’t want her to ever think my strange behavior had anything to do with her.

I used all my skills to control myself. 

“It’s nothing, Darling” I breathed out and turned a confident, if not cocky look on her “I promised I’d take you no further than the sidewalk and we’re nearly a few feet from it.” 

She smiled in such a relieved fashion- To a point where I wondered why she should look so relieved. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Darling” and with that I kissed her again on the cheek. 

She seemed pleased but also scared. Of what though? Me? Her feeling’s for me? or my behavior?

I tried to ignore the flashes as they fought their way through my mind again.


	16. Jackass

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part III of the episode 'The Return' moving onto the episode 'The Stranger'!! 
> 
> Head's up: Belle's going to be in the next chapter!!

What the Bloody hell was going on with me. Sleeping was a difficult task, all night long the Hallucinations had kept coming and going like lightning, they were never complete though. 

There were hazy images of people, faces, colors, a Jungle, the Ocean… Always the Ocean… 

Yesterday was Mary Margaret’s party and these sporadic hallucinations felt like nails being driven into my head all morning long. 

I must be catching a fever. I couldn’t make sense of it. With each set of these… whatever they were… came emotions, none of which I couldn’t make sense of either. Beneath everything there was a strange anger that had my skin crawling, like there was something I needed to finish, an itch to be scratched.

I tried to focus on the present. I was in my apartment above the Shop and Mrs. Bremen was giving her weekly music lessons to the grade school band class next door. 

I rolled my eye’s, why did she have to teach them in her home? Why didn’t she have access to an afternoon classroom at the school? I could see through the window. There were four kids there, all with different instruments and my god were they bad. If I didn’t know better I would have thought her home was being ransacked. 

I sat back down on the edge of my bed and looked around. I had very few things that I held onto, so it was rather barren. No family photos, no diplomas, just a few book’s and a picture of a naval ship I’d bought a few years ago. The Photo I printed of Emma was on the corner of my dresser collecting dust. I’d spent so much time out of the building lately I’d forgotten about it. I picked it up and brushed the dust off. 

It had been a few months now that I’d known her and while my heart warmed at the thought of her when I remembered our shared kiss, the warmth was short lived.

Another migraine spiked and suddenly I was somewhere else, somewhere hazy. I recognized a face. It was... Regina? She didn’t look like herself “In this new land… Enable you to… I believe you’ve seen it done before” Sadness and anger flushed through me at the last bit of the words. What was going on with me?

I needed to get out for a bit. 

Luckily, a Trombone from Mrs. Bremen’s house shot me back into awareness. I walked over to my window only to see the four kid’s she was teaching, they were laughing, the Trombone player blaring sound into one of the other kid’s ears. What a little jackass.

 

I placed the photo of Emma back down and made my way downstairs to the front entrance, grabbing some pain reliever from my desk as I made it out the door. 

I was heading towards the Docks, I could do with the sight of the ocean, it always cleared my mind.

It was a nice day out and the air was cool. 

It was refreshing after the hallucinations had kept me up all night. I was passing Granny’s when I spotted Emma sitting in a booth with Sidney Glass, she looked angry, no doubt confronting him on his betrayal. 

The conversation ended with her getting up and making a hasty exit towards the door, her eyes found mine immediately as she came down the steps. For a minute she almost looked like she wanted to turn around and run. 

Apparently, she was still conflicted about her feelings for me, I knew she had a tendency to fumble a bit with words, so I rushed to conversation in the ‘friend-zone’ tone, sighing inwardly. A while ago she’d told me a few stories of her past. I realized letting me into her heart would probably take a while.

“Afternoon, Sherriff” I couldn’t help the smile that crossed my face and tried to keep my eyebrow level with the other. “I take it Sidney Glass isn’t having a good day by the looks of it” I nodded back towards the booth he was still sitting at, a nervous expression on his face.

She seemed relieved that I hadn’t brought up the kiss. “He should be, once I find the place where Katherine was being held, both him and Regina are going down” 

As soon as she was a couple feet away she gave me a worried look.

“Are you alright? You look sick”

“Of course, Love, just a bit of a migraine I suppose. It didn’t help that the music teacher next door decided to have early session”

She laughed a little, but it was a bit forced. 

“Where are you heading? I could give you a ride if you want? Maybe to the Hospital…?” 

“I’m fine, Love… really”

“I don’t believe you. You look terrible”

“Me? Look terrible? Come on now, Swan” the mock confidence in my voice had her rolling her eyes. 

I couldn’t stand the hospital. Besides, half the people that worked there owed me money from gambling at the Rabbit Hole. 

She, however, wasn’t having my refusal and practically pulled me to her little yellow bug, talking all the while. 

“I’m serious, you look the same way Graham did before he had a heart attack and I’m not letting someone else I lo-“ She choked on the word. I would have been stunned myself if she’d said it. My eye’s were wide, I could only see her face from an angle because of the way she was pulling me, but just enough to see that her eyes were just as wide.

She faked a cough and kept talking as if she hadn’t almost just told me she loved me “-know. Graham refused to go to the hospital too and it killed him. Now, stop being such a stubborn ass and get in the car”

I laughed, an amazed, breathy noise.

“If the lady insists”

And off to the hospital we went.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IMPORTANT  
> ****Not a whole lot of people might be familiar with the fairytale I was referencing, I'm sure some of you got it immediately, but if you didn't and this chapter seemed weird to you, it's because I was referencing one of my favorite fairytale's (and one of the shortest) 'The Bremen Town Musician's' by the Brother's Grimm. I'm going to try and put a link in but if it doesn't work you can find it on Wikipedia as 'Town Musicians of Bremen'.******
> 
>  
> 
> Here's the link to the Bremen Town Musician's:
> 
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Town_Musicians_of_Bremen


	17. The Hospital

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is Part I of the episode 'The Stranger' We all know what was going on with Emma during that episode, which I might bring up in part II of this episode cover. Hopefully, I'll only do two chapters of this. 
> 
> The 25th is coming up quick. I'm excited for 'Once' to come back and I want to at least get to the season one finale before it premiere's, so the chapter's might come along a bit quicker over the next couple of weeks.

Emma’s POV:

My life was one giant headache right now. There were the good things; Henry, Mary Margaret’s out of prison, Katherine's alive. There was the Bad: Regina’s a sociopath and I don’t have any custody over my kid. 

And then there was Charlie. I know myself too well to know I care about this guy. I can’t believe I almost said I loved him. 

Care about him absolutely, but Love him? Love doesn’t go over well for me. Ever. The end.

We were both in the bug, there was an easy silence between us. Thank god.

He looked terrible. His face was dead pale, he was sweaty as hell, and he wasn’t acting like himself. Normally I would’ve chalked it up to a hangover or not say anything because it wasn’t my business. But the thought of Graham a few months ago had me terrified because that is how Charlie looks now. 

I looked over quick, he was staring out the window. His eyes looked like they were going in and out of focus. Once I’d gotten him in the car he’d stopped talking, which wasn’t like him. Usually he’d take any chance to flirt or throw in an innuendo about getting in my car, but he went silent instead. 

He looked like he was completely somewhere else.

The same way Graham had... before he died.

I tried to ignore the chills that ran up my arm. It didn’t work. 

We were coming up on the Hospital now. 

Pulling into the Parking lot, it seemed like Charlie was making an effort to act like nothing was wrong. We both got out of the car and he made another weak plea to get out of going in. 

Wasn’t Happing.

 

Killian’s POV:

My feeble attempts to dissuade Swan failed miserably, especially since I couldn’t even keep my eyes in focus through her protests.

Something was wrong with me. This had never happened to me before, even in my worst bits of drinking, I was never a black out drunk, nor have I ever experienced hallucinations.

I could tell Swan was worried, but try as I might, my attention span kept drifting off to these strange delusions.

One minute I was walking along the sidewalk and into the hospital entrance and then- the scene of a Bar? It was strange, why was I hallucinating about a Ren-fair bar? There was a noise, like something hitting a table. Then there was a flash, for some reason the image of dice popped into my head. This fog I was in was immediately followed by a loud clamor of cheers- wait was this a memory? Nurse Rached owes me money… It felt like a memory.

‘Ahoy, my three mates!!’ shouted a woman. A face came into my mind, it wasn’t Nurse Rached and it wasn’t Emma. 

This woman had crystal blue eyes and long, curly black hair. There was a haunted type of sadness that crept through me at the image of this woman, though I had no clue who she was.

“Charlie, You need to look at me”

It was coming from outside the fog, from reality. Emma was gripping my arm and staring at me. Her face was layered in worry. I was embarrassed, Something was wrong with me. 

I had always thoroughly opposed the hospital, to my own stupidity I suppose. 

I’ve never liked being taken care of but this was getting out of control.

‘Focus. Focus. Focus.’ I demanded myself, Emma was watching me like a hawk.

I told her I’d be fine on my own and that I’d get checked out and call her later on in the day. This seemed to panic her more, though, she, like myself, was trying not to show weakness. 

I eventually convinced her that I’d be fine and that she should get back to work.

“I’ll call you as soon as the doctor clears me, I’m sure it’s nothing.” I promised her, putting on a fake smile. 

She hesitated, much to my pleasure. 

“Call me if they think there’s something serious going on.” She said it in an almost embarrassed manner. I couldn’t even answer her, because she had already pivoted and was hastily making her way to the same entrance we’d just come through.

\---

an hour of sitting in a waiting room later.

“So have you ever experienced anything like these episodes before?” said Dr. Whale.

“If I knew what these things were, I wouldn’t bloody well be here would I?” Even I could recognize I was becoming more hostile the more I was bombarded with these visions.

“Listen…” He seemed like he didn’t know how to approach the subject. “I know- I’ve heard that you have a drinking problem, Maybe this is just the fall back from a little too much rum”

The anger spiked again and the thought of wrangling the good Doctor with my one hand sprung to mind.

“I know the difference between the side effects of drinking and full-on Hallucinations, Doctor” I tried to calm down. Whale shifted in his seat uncomfortably.

“You do have a fever, but it could just be from a lack of sleep” he saw me eyeing him skeptically and quickly gave an alternative suggestion. “Just to be safe though, maybe we should do a neurological exam, an MRI, for sure.”

“you think?” I barked a little too aggressively. 

The Doctor looked down at his watch. “I’d say let’s do It right now, but this is usually when the psychiatric patients are given free time to walk around downstairs and that's also where the equipment is kept. 

I was at the end of my rope, I had only been able to half-listen, as I ripped myself out of another Hallucination I could feel myself heading into, one that had been nothing but Jungle Forrest and the image of a young man with a sinister grin.

“Just do it now, what do I bloody care if a few crazy people see. They’d probably just think I was there to join their ranks.”

Wale looked uncomfortable again.

“As you can imagine, they’re a little unhinged.”

I glared at the man, he made a noise of irritation. “Alright! Or we can do it now.” And he rolled his eyes. I had the feeling it was more him not wanting to deal with the patients downstairs than getting the MRI done.

He led me down the stairs, I had to admit the patient's walking about down there were a bit uncomfortable to be around, he assured me the MRI room was just at the end of a room past the psychiatric cells. 

Nurse Rached looked surprised to see me, and then quickly away, no doubt recalling how much she owed me in gambling debts.

It was like the land of the walking dead down here. There was one man with long black hair staring at nothing, possibly the same way I had looked during my visions. He was mopping away at the same distance of floor, back and forth, back and forth. 

In another part of the small space, was a rec-room? I suppose that’s the closest thing I could compare it too. There was a television with a couch across from it, a few people were situated on it. 

In the corner of the room was a table with a long, slender, lanky fellow playing cards. A stout man sat across from him, he clearly had some type of paranoia disorder, his eyes kept flickering over his shoulder and back again with a nervous twitch.

I tried to speed up this trip by walking side by side with Dr. Whale but before I was completely out of sight of the rec-room, a young woman with long, brown, unkempt hair turned from the TV to watch me pass. 

Her eyes, shockingly blue, were far from focused, she seemed confused. 

Another hallucination hit me as if I’d walked into wall. 

There was a blue dress worn by the same woman I had just seen, she was lying down on a perch from a wall. She was in chains, her words were swirling as I recalled them. “She wants you to kill me… Rescue me? Who are you?...” I heard my own voice in this hallucination “I’m not here to kill you. I'm here to rescue you, Love.”

I could feel chills on my arms. I KNEW that woman. I KNEW her. This was no hallucination. 

“Charlie” the doctor was snapping his fingers in front of my face “Charlie, look at me, you’re having an episode, we need to get you down the hall” 

My hand flew to my face. “Ah… Yes, of course” I looked back at the brunette woman. She had been staring at me the entire time in an odd trance but was now turning back to the television set in front of her. 

I had said I was going to rescue her?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We all know the Brunette is Belle, of course.
> 
> The surprise I'm throwing in for this chapter is who the two gambler's were in the corner! That'll all be in the next chapter.
> 
> The 'Rec-Room' I was referring to can be found in the episode 'Tiny' from season two. It's the room that Ruby visit's Belle in after she lost her memories in 'The Outsider'
> 
> Comment's, suggestion's, feedback; All appreciated!
> 
> I also really appreciate any requests outside this fic, if anyone has any. I want to have a few more fic's going besides this one and I love dissecting scene's that have aired in previous seasons through different POV's.


	18. Deductions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part II of the episode 'The Stranger' I'm working on part III now, so that should be done either today or tomorrow.
> 
> This chapter's a hefty one but I'm getting to the end!

The MRI was a failure. The doctor found nothing. 

Wale insisted that I stay in the hospital overnight in case I had a seizure or something. What was one night? Besides I couldn’t get the thought of the woman downstairs out of my mind. I HAD met her, I knew her! Or at least I’d seen her somewhere before.

In the hallucination, I had told her I was going to save her. She’d been in chains. Was that here? Had I once tried to save her from here? 

This was Ludacris. I wiped my hand over my face in frustration, noticing just how hot I was, my fever was definitely going up.

It was a little after 1:00pm when they had me set up in a room. 

“You’ve got a visitor” A nurse popped her head into the room.

Swan came walking in.

“Thanks for the phone call” Emma said with light sarcasm. There was still worry in her face as she wandered over to the chair next to the bed I was in.

“Sorry, Love, slipped my mind. Besides they didn’t find anything.”

She reached over and placed her hand on my forehead. I rolled my eyes.

“You definitely got a fever”

I tried to keep up a good poker face. “It’s just a fever, Swan, No need for worry, besides they’re having me stay overnight for observation. Nothing to be concerned about.”

She still didn’t look happy, I tried to change the subject. “I’m sure your day was far more interesting?”

Her face hardened “I’m going to get my son back. Regina wants a custody battle, well she’s going to get one. August has been helping me out”

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes again, she was spending more time with August. Irritation flooded through me. Thankfully she didn’t notice, she seemed to be strategizing. 

“Worse comes to worse, I’m might even ask Gold for help. I can’t leave my kid with that lunatic… He thinks I’m the Savior, the only person I really need to save is him”

Distracted once again, my thought’s turned back to the vision I'd had downstairs ‘I’m here to rescue you, Love…’ that woman was still downstairs. How did I know her? Why was I trying to save her?

“Okay, you definitely need to sleep” Emma spoke shaking me out of my trance.

She was staring at me intensely.

“I just need some sleep, I’ll be fine” 

She looked like she didn’t want to leave. 

"I told Whale to call me if anything gets worse, so don’t think of running off or anything okay?"

“Oh yes, of course, I’m in perfect shape to be planning an escape right now.” I tried to laugh, she finally gave me a smirk before heading out. 

As soon as Swan was out the door, I started strategizing for myself. I needed to speak with that brunette woman in the Psych Ward. I needed to ask her how we knew each other. 

I pressed the button that called for the Nurse. 

I asked for some water and tried to make light conversation regarding the schedule for the ward patient’s free time. She didn’t seem to care about the topic probably just chalking my curiosity up as a way to pass the time. 

“Every couple of hours they get an hour to walk around or watch TV, the next one is at Four o’clock. It’s so creepy down there I’m just glad I don’t have the evening shift tonight. Poor Nurse Rached’s down there until lockdown at eight”

She was giving me everything I needed. I’d come in a little after Noon. The Nurse must be working Noon to Eight. I’d have enough time to black mail her into letting me into their free time at five, It’ll be my only shot at speaking with the Brunette.

“Would you mind doing me a favor, Darling, I know Nurse Rached personally, would you mind asking her to drop in on her break.”

“Sure, why not, I’m sure she’d use any excuse to get out of there for a while.”

“Thank you” I smiled 

She smiled back in turn and left. 

An hour later she showed up. “Heard you wanted to see me. Listen, I don’t have your money right now I can get it to you-“ 

I cut her off “Forget the money, Here’s a proposition for you; help me get down stairs for the Ward’s Group time at five and I’ll forget about the money you owe.”

She looked at me as if I’d gone completely insane. One eyebrow shot up to her hairline.

“What do you want with those people?”

“Do you want the deal or not?” 

she nodded her head, a bit in shock. “Meet me at the stairwell entrance at ten of five” she walked over to the door but before she left, added “and be discreet, if Regina finds out I let you down there, I’ll lose my job.” 

I nodded in agreement.

The area surrounding the Stairwell entrance was deserted, so much for the point of discretion, I’d even gone as far as swapping from my hospital gown back into the clothes I’d come in wearing.

At 4:50 the door buzzed and I was free to turn the handle. Nurse Rached was on the other side

“You sure are punctual.”

“As are you” I noted.

“The room is down the hallway, I should tell you though, none of the patients are forced to go to free time so whoever you’re looking for might not even be in today... Who ARE you looking for?”

“The Brunette that was down here earlier when I came down for my MRI”

The Nurse paused, it almost seemed like it was out of fear. She stopped walking down the stairs 

“That girl’s only allowed free time once per day, she’s a real high-strung thing. Next to anything sets her into full on panic mode, you sure you wanna see her?”

“Get her there or our deals off” 

She mumbled something along the lines of ‘It might be worth it’ before making a decision and turning to me. 

“I can get her in there in a half an hour. Don’t ever let Regina know that I did any of this”

“Did what?” I said pointedly. She gave me an understanding smile and led me to the room I’d seen the woman in earlier.

The room was nearly empty, the only two people in there where the men I’d seen before. They were back at their card game. 

At first I sat on the couch not quite knowing what to do with myself for the next half an hour. The stout man, who I’d thought was paranoid earlier, twitched a little and then looked over at me. 

“Why don’t you come and join us, my friend. We surely have room for one more” The man spoke with a thick Spanish accent. 

I hadn’t noticed before, the man was terribly deformed, one shoulder a bit higher than the other. The lanky man across from him made an irritated expression before nodding in agreement. 

What was the harm? I quickly learned the Spanish man’s name was Antonio, and despite the rudeness of the man across from him, he exuded nothing but kindness and friendliness.

I learned the other man’s name was Sherman O’Doyle. I noticed he had a tendency to riff with Antonio in an extremely obnoxious manner. 

“So you were a sailor, huh?” The smartass remarked.

The question threw me off, considering it came out of nowhere. “Afraid not, never been on a ship before.”

“Your skin is tinged orange, your fingernail on your pinky finger is two shades darker than your skin tone, and unless you’re a chain smoker, the tops of your teeth are darker, all of which are indicative of scury.” 

“Don’t have Scurvy, Mate” I couldn’t think of anything else to say.

“Why’d you call me, Mate?” he asked like he'd caught me admitting something.

Again I was at a loss. “Habit, I suppose, it’s just the way I’ve always spoken.” 

“And where exactly are you from?” he said while nonchalantly putting a card down on the table, not bothering to make eye contact with me. 

At this point Antonio chimed in “Enough with the inquisition, Sherman, if he’s down here, the poor man’s obviously not having a good day to begin with.”

“Fair enough, one last question then; Who was it that cut off your hand? Just for personal reference so I know never to go to that surgeon?

“My hand wasn’t cut off, MATE” I made a point of adding an inflection on the word. 

“Oh sorry, did it fall off in the night?" he said sarcastically.

What the bloody hell was this man's problem? My irritation was amplified by my fever that was already reaching a new high. 

“It was amputated years ago after a bad case of necrosis” I said sharply

“Okay” the bastard spoke nonchalantly. "Tell me what kind of physician cuts a man’s hand off while it’s clenched into a fist?" 

I shook my head, Antonio said nothing. This level of rudeness must be a usual occurrence. 

“It wasn’t clenched.”

“Yes. It was.” He spoke matter-of-factly. He was looking at the end of my wrist where my hand once was. “The tendons and muscles that would’ve connected to the thumb are still positioned in a clenched form"

I gave up, this man was clearly here for a reason. He was a lunatic. 

His friend was eager to get off the topic. He ignored Sherman and turned to me, abandoning his card game. 

“I’ve been here for a while but if I’m not mistaken you’re the man who owns the instrument shop in town, is that right?”

I appreciated the change of topic, still floored by the sheer obnoxiousness of the lanky man, who went back to staring at his cards. 

“Aye- Yes, I do. Charlie’s Guitar Shop is the name of it.”

Antonio was all smiles. “Wonderful, nothing is more of a gift than music to me, your Shop will be the first place I visit, if ever I get out of here. I tell you; music is the only truly magical thing in this world. It can move people to tears, happiness or even violence.” The entire time he spoke to me there was nothing but joy to be found on his face.

I made a mental note to donate one of my guitars to this place, once I get out tomorrow. I would have continued the conversation but it was then that Nurse Rached walked through the open door with the brunette woman. 

The woman didn’t say anything or even look at me, she just went over to the couch and sat down. The Nurse looked over at me, knowing that I’d want to talk to her alone and nodded to Sherman and Antonio.

“Both of you, come on, time for your med's”

Antonio turned to me before leaving “Wonderful to meet you Charlie” his deformed face was a stark contrast to his unusually kind demeanor. 

I noticed Sherman grabbed a cane that had been hanging on the back of his chair. They both walked off with the Nurse and I was alone with the Brunette.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you didn't guess it; Sherman O'Doyle is Sherlock Holmes. I'd be lying if I didn't say 'House MD' had a little bit of influence in the way I wrote him. Excellent show, everyone should watch it.
> 
> As for Antonio, I'm sure most people would have thought that Antonio was the Hunchback of Notre Dame, He isn't though. Antonio is actually Tonino from the excellent fairytale 'Tonino and the Fairies' It's another Fairytale that's not very well known, another really short story too, but it is SO good. I'll put a link to where you can find the story below.
> 
> https://naturenest2.wordpress.com/2010/01/16/tonino-the-fairies/


	19. Paranoia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally, the end of the episode 'The Stranger' 
> 
> Don't worry, I didn't brush off August and Charlie meeting. That's the next chapter.

The Brunette sat on the couch. She seemed a bit comatose.

“Hello, my name is Charlie”

She looked at me unsure of what to say. her eyes were coming in and out of focus. 

“I… I am... I’m…” she stared off into space for a solid minute while I tried to figure out what to do next. 

I reminded myself why I’d come here in the first place. Those flashes. I’d told her I was going to rescue her. 

Her eye’s wandered from the TV to mine, lingering trying to make sense of who I was. 

I took a seat on the couch beside her, she flinched back unconsciously.

The haze hit at the worst possible moment. I was back in a cell and she was back in the same scene, but I didn’t recognize myself this time. I heard my own voice ‘So pretty, yet so useless…” there was a flash of metal heading in her direction in this vision. 

I was going to hurt her?

Coming back into reality, I wiped my face again with my hand. Nothing was making sense. I didn’t want to believe that I would hurt a woman ever. I had told her that I was trying to rescue her right? 

I focused on her, and made sure her eye contact met my own. “Darling, have we ever met before? I think that- I know that we’ve met before.”

She looked around the room before her gaze landed on mine again. 

Then it was as if someone had hit a switch, she was all panic. “Who are you?! I don’t know you!!” her fear was increasing by the second, I tried to calm her down. 

“It’s alright, it’s alright, Breathe, Love” 

She did, her eyes fixing on her lap. “I don’t know….” She stammered off incoherently. 

“Listen” I told her “Lately I’ve been having these memories with you in them and in them, I remembered that I tried to save you… or at least I think that was what was going on, but in another memory I’d been trying to hurt you. All I’m asking is; do you know me, or have any memories of me at all?”

She looked at me blankly “I don’t think I know you”

This was a waste of time.

What was I doing, I’ve been up for two and a half days now, I had a fever that was making my skin burn and I'd bribed my way into the Psychiatric Ward. This woman wasn’t going to help me. I needed sleep… and fever reducers. 

I signaled to the Nurse that I was finished and that I was going to go back to my hospital room now. 

 

\----

Being back in my room solved nothing. I spent the entire night awake, bombarded by memories. Strange memories. I saw Regina’s face again “Take us far, far, away to a land without Magic… In this new land you… A mere flick of your Hook.”

What the hell? I got up and went to the tiny bathroom that accompanied every hospital room, went to the sink and splashed my face with water. 

What the hell was wrong with me?

Looking in the mirror, my hair was wet, another delusion hit. Staring at my reflection, my face stayed the same but, what should have been hospital tile behind me, the background morphed into wood, a sea scape, I could practically feel a breeze, there was ocean behind me… I was on a ship. 

“So you were a Sailor, huh”… it was the jackass’ words I’d heard hours ago. Why did it seem so true?

The vision in the mirror melted away and I was staring at myself, the hospitals ceramic tiling behind me, once more in the reflection. 

I was going on three days without sleep at this point. I need to get out of here. I need to get back to my shop… Back to normal. 

"Good luck living long enough…” it was gold’s voice I heard in the back of my head. This was too much, I needed to fix something, I could feel it. 

“I’m afraid that’s not in the cards for you sonny boy” Gold’s voice again. I instinctively looked down at my wrist. 

Sherman’s words repeated again and again in my head. ‘Who was it that cut off your hand?... What kind of physician cuts a man’s hand off while it’s clenched into a fist? ’

He had a point, I’d been too irritated with him at the time. But he DID have a point. I couldn’t remember what had caused the injury to my hand and I couldn’t remember who the surgeon was that had done the amputation. 

There was only one answer I could think of to finish this madness. In the hallucination, I said I was going to save the Brunette. What if I still needed to save her? After all she was in chains in my dream and she’s still locked up now. 

Sweat was pouring down my face. I think my fever had reached a dangerous new degree. I looked at the clock. ten minutes to eight. I remembered what the other nurse said. She’d said that Nurse Rached would be down there until eight, when her shift was over. 

 

I made it just in time. The door was opening at 8:02pm and Nurse Rached was leaving the stairwell. I took extra precautions to make sure she wouldn’t see me standing behind the door. 

It had been a long day for her and she was in a hurry to get off her shift. 

I was swift enough to just block the door from closing entirely with my foot while her back was turned and the Nurse hastily walked away to the parking lot without looking back, no doubt happy to be free of her shift.

The door was only open a fraction but it was enough.

I slipped in. All was quiet. 

‘Lockdown’ I remember the earlier nurse calling it. 

I needed to finish what I started, it was an itch but I couldn’t figure out what it was. It must be saving the strange Brunette. 

Something in my head pounded… ‘Finish what you started, finish what you stared…’ saving the brunette? was that what I needed to finish? 

Another pair of Blue eyes assaulted my vision, they were different and they were framed by thick, curly black hair. She was beautiful… something in me told me that this image was important, this woman was important. She was a reason for something.

My entire body was in a cold sweat while I melted underneath it. I saw the station that Nurse Rached had just left, it was unattended. I grabbed the keys to the cell that were hanging on the wall. 

I had to glance into every cell until I found the Brunette. 

It took me five minutes and three different cells but finally, I found her. 

The key’s unlocking the door sounded too loud, especially in my delirious state. 

I staggered in and she backed up into the corner. 

She was confused “She sent you, didn’t she?”

This seemed like déjà vu

My words weren’t my own they were some sort of reflex I couldn’t control. “I’m not here to kill you, Love, I’m here to rescue you”

“Who are you?” she asked

Again, reflex response. “A friend”

She became quiet and unfocused again.

I grabbed her arm and led her out the cell door and we both ran to the emergency exit. 

“You’re burning up” she said in a surprisingly sane voice. 

I knew she was right. My fever was probably off the charts by now. 

I breathed deeply. “I have to finish… what I started. I have to Rescue… You… I think” I was panting, the fever was taking its toll as we made our way up the emergency exit.

We were almost to freedom, I could see the street lights outside through the glass windows on the doors. 

The Brunette was behind me. And we both smiled as we made our way to the pavement, nothing but the street light above us, lighting our way. My joy was short lived as we both heard a siren blaring. 

My head shot up and I saw Swan. She had a worried expression on her face while she stepped out of the cruiser that was parked on the side of the road. 

She came up to both me and my fellow escapee.

“Charlie, what the hell are you doing?”

Hearing the name Charlie did strange things to my mind. That wasn’t my name, or was it? 

“Emma” I managed to sputter out. 

The past couple of months, the memories of me and Swan hit me as if I’d run into a wall. ‘What the Hell was I doing?’

I remembered the guitar shop, the kiss outside Emma’s Loft, her attempt to be tough the first day that I’d met her and the guitar I’d made for her.

While I was processing all of this she made her way over to me. She put both of her hands on my face. 

“Charlie you need to look at me, you are going to die if you don’t go back inside and get some fever reducers.”

I saw Dr. Whale and a team of staff members waiting by the entrance. 

“He called me after he saw that you weren’t in your room” she told me. “We need to get you inside” She looked over at the Brunette behind me- “Both of you, back inside, you’re sick Charlie, please.” I recognized the truth in her words. She was right. I wasn’t of sound mind right now. 

 

\---

Being a friend of the Sheriff certainly had its perks. She managed to convince Dr. Wale and the Hospital Dean not to press charges against me. 

I was back in my hospital room again at this point and the mortification of everything I’d just done was catching up to me.

“What in the world WAS I trying to do?”

Emma managed to get everything back in order, the Brunette was back in her cell, I was finally coming to my senses and the Doctor’s gave me a healthy dose of fever reducers, now all I needed was sleep. 

I knew the night wouldn’t end without a visit from Swan though, and I wasn’t let down.

“You know I was joking when I made that escape joke earlier, right?” She said in a soft voice as she went over to sit in the same chair she had earlier.

“Sorry, Love, I have no idea what came over me”

“Charlie, what were you thinking?”

I was reluctant to give her the real answer but her face was so desperate for the truth, I couldn’t resist.

“I… Ugh... I kept having hallucinations that I tried to save that woman I was with. Sorry Love, My fever was clearly too high, for some reason I got it into my head that if I saved her the Hallucination's would stop.”

She leaned close to me, her eyes sad.

“Sleep will help” she said in an even more far off voice.

Something was wrong, why was she acting strangely? I’m the one who’d gone off like a total lunatic. I remembered earlier she’d said something about August helping her with her custody battle over Henry.

“Is everything alright, Love? I know I’m the crazy one, but you’re acting rather out of sorts.”

“Had a rough day… You’re not the only one who’s been acting crazy. It turns out August is insane, he actually believes that he’s Pinocchio.”

“Are you serious?” 

“Yeah” She paused for a moment and her eyes turned red. “You know I’ve been thinking a lot about Henry” her voice cracked a little, I sat up. Emma is not one to show weakness. What was going through her mind?

I reached over and held her hand, she didn’t resist my touch “Emma?”

While she didn’t move her hand from underneath mine, she did recover her poker face and straightened up. 

“Charlie I need you to be alright, you’re my friend…” She looked like she wanted to say more, to tell me something. “You know my cell phone number if anything happens right?”

What an odd question. “Of course, Love”

She took a deep breath and to my great surprise she leaned down, one hand holding my face as she kissed me. This wasn’t like the kiss outside her loft, there was something off. It felt like a goodbye. There were no flashes this time, no hallucinations, just me and Emma Swan and I kissed her back, hating the fact that I only had one hand to run through her hair.

After a moment or two she pulled away, straightened up and her face hardened once more. 

“Get some sleep, Charlie”

And with that, she made her way hastily out the door. There was a deep urge I had to follow her that I couldn’t make sense of. It felt as if she was leaving, like I wouldn’t see her again. 

It took everything in me to suppress my paranoia. I just kept reminding myself that I couldn’t trust my own judgment right now, after all, I’d almost tried to free a mental patient earlier today. 

Finally the lack of sleep was more than I could handle and I drifted off.


	20. August

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part I of the episode 'An Apple Red as Blood' from Charlie's prospective.

I woke up to the glaring fluorescent lights of the hospital. 

Dr. Whale was taking out my IV that I’d been connected to throughout the night.

“Morning, Charlie” the Doctor said a bit sarcastically. “You’re fever is gone and all you’re vitals are stable.” He paused a moment “You’re lucky you’re the Sheriff’s friend, if anyone else had pulled a stunt like that they’d be sent to the Psych Ward permanently or at least facing jail time.”

“Friends in high places.” I said dryly.

He seemed rather annoyed by this. “Well, I think you’re well enough to head home for the day, but the compromise that I made with Sheriff Swan was that you would have to come back for a follow-up for the next few weeks.

I supposed it was the best I could get out of this situation. 

“Before you go, stop down at the receptionist’s desk to set up a physical follow up too.”

I nodded in response while he turned toward the door and strided away. 

At the receptionist’s desk, the woman was taking her time checking through the available appointment dates. I looked around the empty lobby, only just then remembering the kiss Emma and I had shared last night. 

Were we finally getting somewhere with our relationship? I knew how I felt about her of course, but at the same time I remembered that strange paranoia I’d had last night, I remembered fearing she was leaving… Then again I also remembered the ridiculously high fever I’d had just before passing out.

“You’re follow up appointment is going to be next Friday at 2:00pm” 

I nodded to the receptionist and she began printing out the paperwork for my Hospital discharge.

While the receptionist was taking her time, two men came hobbling through the Hospital entrance and I was shocked to see one of them was August, besides my memory of the kiss, Emma had said something about him last night that I couldn’t recall, I think she’d said something about him that we’d laughed at but I couldn’t recall what it was.

Marco was holding him up, helping him through the doors. There appeared to be something wrong with his leg, I was more interested in his expression though. While he was obviously in pain, there was a look of absolute defeat to his features. He looked resigned. 

My thoughts returned to Emma, hadn’t he just helped her out yesterday? I couldn’t help the childish joy that swept through me. She’d kissed me last night. 

I realized I was being childish, but I also wanted to know what was going on. I was fairly sure August was Emma’s friend so where was she? She would have cared enough to at least accompany him to the hospital. 

The receptionist finally finished her paperwork and handed everything over to me. 

I was going to just head home but I could hear the conversation between the two men as they staggered in.

“It’s alright, Marco, I told you it’s nothing. I’ve been sick for a while now and it’s not going to get any better” the man’s voice got lower and lower as he tried to assure the other. Defeat weighing him down. 

Now even I had to feel sorry for the guy. 

Marco set the man down on a lobby chair and went over to the receptionist’s desk where I’d just been. 

I couldn’t help it, curiosity won out, I walked over to where the man sat rubbing his leg, clearly in pain. 

“August, I believe?” for a moment he looked startled before returning to resignation.

“Yeah. Charlie, right?” There was a disapproving tone to his voice and he went back to staring ahead of himself blankly.

If he was going to be rude, I suppose I had a right to as well. 

“What happened to your leg?”

“Joint pain.” he said, irritated, not looking back at me. “What happened to your hand?” he said smugly, as if he knew something I didn’t. 

I didn’t answer, though his remark did have me thinking about what that Jackass from the other day said. ‘Who was it that cut off your hand?’ The lunatic was so sure of what he was saying, then again, he’d also thought that I was a Sailor. 

“Necrosis” I said in a hard tone. “It was amputated”

“Was it?” he laughed a little before correcting his manners and looking down at his leg. “Sorry. I know what it feels like to… have an injured limb.” 

An injured limb was nothing compared to being an amputee but I understood the train of thought he was on.

Not only was the end of my arm difficult for some to look at, especially in the cases of young children, only having one hand caused many challenges for me. 

Not to mention the humiliation that accompanied the ‘help’ strangers were always too willing to give. Pity was always uncomfortable for me, that’s why I’d always put such an effort into ensuring the people I knew that I was self-sufficient; operating my shop as if I was no different than any of them. 

Marco was walking back over at this point. “Charlie” He tipped his hat to me and helped his friend up from the chair.

Before the two men began down the hallway, I finally aired my question that had brought me over to him in the first place. 

“Why didn’t Emma bring you here, I was under the impression you two were friends.” 

At the remark, a rapid fire range of emotions went over his face, all within a matter of seconds. First anger then irritation, then shame and finally defeat. 

It was such an odd reaction to a simple question. 

What had happened between them the other day? 

“I’ll keep it simple and just say she doesn’t believe I’m sick” he motioned toward his leg and then was off.

I rolled my eyes at the man and headed back to the street and back home to the Shop.


	21. The Yellow Wallpaper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part II of 'An Apple Red as Blood'
> 
> Let me know what you think.

Back at the Shop, I couldn’t stop myself from thinking about Emma, I may have been fever ridden and exhausted but I couldn’t help thinking of how her lips felt against mine. There was so much affection in one kiss, that’s probably why I’d thought that something was wrong. 

My mind lingered far too much on what our relationship was now. I’ve been alone for so long. 

We’ve shared a kiss twice now. I could feel my heart beating faster, it was like my sight was clearer than ever. I wanted to be with her. 

I hadn’t been in a relationship since… I can’t even remember. 

I’d never realized how lonely I was, just me and my Shop. 

I looked around. There was a thin layer of dust atop the glass case of the ‘J O L’. 

I went over to the supply closet and pulled out a rag and some glass cleaner, kicking along a stepping stool with my foot. 

After getting high enough up, I started spraying the glass top and scrubbing away, yet another arduous task because of my handicap. Spray, put the cleaner down, grab the rag, throw the rag over my shoulder, spray again and repeat until clean.

While I was cleaning the case, my mind wandered through the events of the past couple of days. The hallucinations, the hospital, the Brunette, the kiss between Emma and myself, meeting August… Oddly enough, what stuck out to me the most was that strange interaction with the lunatic in the Hospital and everything that he’d said. 

At the time, I’d simply brushed off the majority of his ramblings as evidence of his insanity, but what he’d said DID have me thinking. 

I COULDN’T remember the surgery to amputate my hand, and the reasoning to amputate: necrosis, from what accident? 

In my mind it was like reading a script; not real but a fact that I’d always known. Everything was hazy. 

The lunatic had also said something about me being a Sailor. In all my hallucinations, the sea had always been the most prominent feature. 

-CRACK-

I hadn’t realized how lost in thought I’d been or I would have stopped cleaning the glass. 

I had been scrubbing the top of the case too hard. 

My nerves were shot when one side of the case cracked and there was a sound of metal breaking coming from behind it.

The entire thing was now hanging at a down sloped angle. 

“Bloody Hell!” I shouted to no one, the sound echoing throughout the shop.

The glass cleaner fell to the floor, spilling everywhere. I threw the rag near it and grabbed the bottom of the case as fast as I could. 

I could just barely keep the one side up before the weight of it threatened to bring the entire thing down.

I figured the best course of action would be to take it down before the inevitable crash and examine the damage. Using the length of my left arm down to the stub where my hand should be, and my right arm and hand wrapped around the majority of the large case, I managed to very slowly get it off the wall and safely over to my work table. 

I gently maneuvered it onto the available space. 

While everything had been happening I’d heard the guitar clang around a bit inside after the initial fall. Chills went up my arm as I readied myself to see the condition of my most prized possession. 

I opened the case, minding the few corners of broken glass and breathed a sigh of relief. Miraculously, the ‘J O L’ was fine. There were a few slight dents on the body of the frame but besides that, she was perfect. 

I went over to the storage closet and quickly pulled out and extra stand and placed her in it and went back to examine the case. I definitely needed a new one now. That was for sure. 

Examining the wooden back of the case, I found there were two giant circular latches that screwed into the wood. My cleaning had apparently broken one of them.

What a headache. Perhaps I could get Marco to repair the latch and then I could see what I could do about replacing the glass. 

I walked over to the mess on the floor. Lo and behold, there was the broken piece of metal, I sighed again as I picked it up and put it in my pocket, Marco would need that for a proper size. 

The wallpaper to the Shop used to be white, but time had taken its toll and now it was a bit of a musty yellow color. The rectangle outline where the case had been was slightly less so, but still yellow where it had hung. 

I trailed my hand up the wallpaper, it was peeling in certain places. 

When I finally saw the Hook that had been holding to one of the cases latches I was shocked. It was enormous. Certainly I didn’t install such a large thing into the wall. 

Half of it was actually in the wall. What the hell was this? Why would I or any building contractor mold a hanger hook into the wall? 

This was too bizarre. I looked at the opposite hanger. it was just a small average sized hanging attachment hook screwed into place on the wall.

I went back over to the anomaly, freakishly jutting out of its place, clearly too large, sprouts of yellow tinged wallpaper torn around it. 

I started picking away at the paper. How had I never noticed this before?

Yellow tinged scraps where piling up on the floor beneath me. I grabbed a piece of the hook and pushed it side to side, breaking the drywall panel. I needed to know what this thing was.

Pieces of wall crumbled away adding to the mess on the floor below me until, finally, I pulled the entire object out of its entombed space, I could see the pink insulation behind the paneling. 

I stared at the odd metal thing, not understanding, but feeling like I somehow should.

It was a Hook. Examining it, it looked like something used for building construction or even what people used to use during the 1920’s to load materials onto docks. 

The most peculiar piece of the object was the end of it. The end of metal hook took the formation of something like a key.

I couldn’t take my eyes off the filthy piece of hardware. 

Eventually, I sat on the stepping stool admiring it, yellow wallpaper and everything else I’d destroyed lying in piles around my feet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a link to the Wikipedia page to the story 'The Yellow Wallpaper' by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
> 
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yellow_Wallpaper
> 
> Obviously that story was genius, this is just a nod to it.


	22. Lost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part III, taking place within the episode 'An Apple Red as Blood'
> 
> Also, I want to let you know, I still have one more chapter of this episode that I want to put up before moving into the season one finale. Henry still hasn't eaten the poisoned Apple turn-over yet.

“What the hell happened here?”

I looked up at Swan, standing in the doorway. She was staring at the mess surrounding my feet.

“Another run in with Gold or something?” Her voice was quiet.

I don’t know what possessed me to do it, but I hid the object I’d found down into the rubble on the floor in one smooth movement. I thought for sure she would have caught me but when I looked up she was unusually distracted.

I gave her a curious look but answered her question.

“No, actually. The ‘J O L’ fell off the wall” Simple enough. Not even a lie.

Try as I might, I couldn’t keep the disheartened sound out of my voice.

She took note of my tone. 

“Did it break?” Again, I picked up on something in her voice, she sounded sad and a little bit defeated.

I remembered my paranoia from the Hospital. Maybe something WAS going on.

Suddenly, the mysterious Hook in the wall, the ‘J O L’, and all the strangeness that had been consuming my life lately; all forgotten.

I got to my feet, treading past the rubble. “Darling, are you alright?”

She hesitated far longer than she should have. Not taking her eyes off the floor.

“I… I’ve been thinking a lot lately. About Henry. Mary Margaret said something to me earlier and I just talked to Archie at lunch”

Another strange pause, where was this leading?

She sucked in a deep breath and steadied her features. 

“I think I gotta go, Charlie”

All the warmth I’d felt earlier at the thought of starting a relationship and the idea of not being alone anymore, now left a hollow feeling deep in my chest. I kept my face composed but said nothing. 

I might not have shown it but she must have sensed my feelings, her response followed quickly and sadly.

“Listen, you know I care about you… I just... I gotta think of my kid”

She watched my reaction like a Hawk.

My heart sank to the bottom of my stomach. I walked over to her, trying to think of something to say and coming up with nothing.

I could see the sadness in her face as well, not only for everything that was going on with Henry but for me too. She didn’t want to go. 

My body was reacting faster than my brain, without knowing what I was going to do next I pushed some of her hair back from her face, behind her ear. 

Our eye’s locked and I leaned down, kissing her with more love than I thought I had in me. It was a plea. Please stay, please don’t leave. I didn’t want to picture my life the way it had been; one of isolation, fair weather friends, polishing Guitars that no one would play. I loved her, this woman. I didn’t want to see her go.

She kissed me back with just as much affection and passion but after a moment I could feel a tear rolling down her cheek and she pulled away. 

“I got no case for custody over Henry and my staying in town is just hurting him more” Her voice cracked “I’m planning on coming back though, every once in a while, just because I shouldn’t be around all the time doesn’t mean I don’t get to see him…” 

Her eyes shot up at me and I had a feeling she was saying she’d miss me too.

I’m sure I was looking as desperate as I was sounding. “Swan, everything about this town has gotten better since your arrival-” I would have continued but she cut me off, not wanting another side to this argument. 

“I almost kidnapped Henry last night. I almost took him and ran out of town without telling anyone” Her face hardened, more so with guilt and so did my heart.

So I had been right to trust my instincts last night at the hospital. 

As much as I cared for her I couldn’t help the anger that pulsed through me. She was going to leave without telling me, forget romance. What about friendship? 

I hadn’t felt a stronger bond to another person in… however many years and she didn’t even have the guts to tell me she was leaving properly. The feeling of abandonment racked through my chest. 

I backed away from her, running my hand through my hair in frustration. Trying to disguise the betrayal I felt. 

It took a full minute before I composed myself and turned to face her. She was looking at me cautiously. 

“I didn’t mean to hurt you… or anyone… I just… I gotta do what’s best for my kid”

“Right” I said passively, trying to put myself in her position, my anger and hurt side tracking me. 

“I suppose that’s the way things are then” I couldn’t think of anything else to say. My mind was torn between that of a hurt, betrayed child and the attempt at maturity to see things through her prospective. I suppose the betrayed child facet of my personality won out. 

“Don’t forget your Guitar before you go.” I nodded in the direction of the instrument I’d cleaned up as a gift for her, one that she’d never taken home and turned toward the door, heading to the Rabbit Hole Bar. I needed a drink.

There was a small amount of guilt I felt as I left her behind in the empty shop, I could feel her eyes on me as I left. I glanced over. She was staring at me like she was lost. 

Well, so was I.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I didn't make it to the deadline that I wanted to make it to.
> 
> Well one can try. 
> 
> This chapter doesn't have any nods to anything, it's purely moving the story along, I do have plans to add in another underrated fairytale or literature character for the next chapter.
> 
> Let me know how you felt about it in the comments.


	23. Acceptance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another bit of a downer chapter, it was necessary though, trying to keep time with what happened during the actual episode. 
> 
> The good news: I'm officially done with 'An Apple Red as Blood' I had no idea it was going to be this long to finish that one episode.
> 
> I'm really excited about writing the next chapter though, I'm FINALLY at the episode 'A Land Without Magic' which of course was phenomenal.

It was only 1:00pm so the Rabbit Hole was fairly empty. 

I sat at the bar, a beer in hand. It’s funny how pain will make you petty against the stupidest things. I’d ordered a whiskey at first and then changed my mind instantly on the foolish notion that whiskey shots had been our drink. 

bloody hell, did I sound like a love-sick teenager.

After an hour or so, an older man came and sat a few seats down from me. I’d heard of him before, his name was Donny Quixon. 

He was an elderly fellow, with a peculiar reputation.

He had a habit of making a fool of himself. One time I’d heard he’d even gone into Granny’s and professed his love for her, though she had no idea who he was. He was promptly taken to the Psych Ward, Where they diagnosed him with a case of acute dementia. 

I’d never realized the amount strange people in this town, was this normal? Were other towns like this?

As If the man had been reading my mind, he turned to me. “Yes, I am the nutcase”

I was a bit shocked at how off-hand the comment was but said nothing and the man continued.

“Don’t worry they’ve got me on medication. I know who I am now” His tone of voice was one of a broken spirit.

Again, he didn’t wait for me to respond.

“You read books about honor and fighting for what’s right… and then realize you’re just tilting at windmills” 

What was this guy going on about? Did he not take his medication today? I was starting to ignore his rambling but was immediately bombarded by the thought of Swan, she was leaving. My heart cracked in half again and I turned to Donny, eager for any kind of distraction.

He was mumbling now but when he saw he’d gained my attention again, he was quick to grab hold of it.

“What exactly is a man like yourself doing, drinking in the middle of the day?”

I didn’t want to get into my dilemmas with a man I barely knew so my response was perhaps a bit too curt.

“Just thirsty, mate”

I stared back at the assortment of liquor behind the bar keep.

“No family to drink with?” 

“Afraid not”

The barrage of lonely memories, that was my life, hit me again.

“No friends either?” The question hung in the air awkwardly, answering itself I suppose. The man read the silence correctly. 

“Well, consider yourself with one now”

He held his glass up to tap to mine. I simply smiled and reciprocated the notion, though none of the friendliness could entirely take my mind off Swan’s leaving.

“broken heart?” The man inquired.

I was reluctant to get into my story, but lonesome enough to want to have some form a connection to another person. What was the harm anyway.

I told him about Emma and how she was planning on leaving.

The man was a bit preachy, but he did make some fair remarks.

“Imagine if you had a son and he was in a situation like this. What would be the honorable thing to do?”

He had a point. The thought of starting a family of my own… well it would have been a joke to me a few months ago. The deeper I placed myself in her shoes, the more I realized the extent of how childish I was behaving. 

As painful as the situation was, I realized the truth to his points and of course a mother would choose what’s best for her child over… well, whatever it was that she and I shared. She was doing the right thing.

Speaking with this man eased my torn heart a bit. I liked the prospect of honor, and besides; true, she said she’d have to leave town for a bit, but she also said she’d be coming back to see him. Perhaps things weren’t as bad as they seemed.

I’d been at the bar for a little over an hour now and I wondered where Swan was now. 

Donny turned to me and as if I was living in some sort of Harlequin novel said “Go fight for her, son, and be honorable in your quest” 

It took everything I had to keep the drink I’d just taken a sip of in my mouth and not spew it across the bar in the form of a laugh. I don’t think I’d ever heard someone speak so dramatically in my life. I just nodded respectfully and tried to keep a serious face on.

\---

I wasn’t surprised when I made it back to an empty Shop. An alarm went off in my mind though, what if she’d already left town? I hurried over to phone on the wall and dialed her number as fast as I could.

“Charlie” she said sadly.

“Swan” There was a moment of silence but I was grateful she didn’t hang up. When I spoke again my voice was apologetic.

“Do you mind stopping by the Shop before you leave town… When are you leaving by the way?”

Her voice was just as sullen as she answered. “Tonight. I just got back from Regina’s place, she’s agreeing to let me see Henry every once in a while but we haven’t figured out any specifics.”

“But you’re leaving tonight?” I interjected.

“Yeah. Look, I don’t like the way we left things.”

“My thought’s exactly” I said, cutting her off again. “Will you come back to the Shop if you’re free now?”

There was sadness in her voice again “Yeah, Mary Margaret is just getting my stuff together, I can finish packing when I get back. I’ll see you in a couple minutes.

\---

I didn’t know how I was going to handle this or what I was going to say but waiting for her to show up was making me nervous; an odd feeling for someone like myself. I’ve faced Gold and his thugs, been in numerous bar fights, but somehow I was dreading this conversation more than anything I’d ever faced.

I decided to do what I could to clean up the mess on the floor from earlier today. With one hand, sweeping the floor was a challenge so I pulled the iron hook object I’d found earlier out of the mess, tossed it onto the table and then took out the vacuum and just began sucking up the mess and debris.

I’d gotten most of it cleared up when I heard a light knocking on the door. 

I knew who it was.

“Come in, Love, its open” I said in a serious but clear enough voice to be heard over the vacuum.

She idled by the door for a minute, I clicked off the Vacuum and headed over to my desk where I kept my two tumblers and bottle of whiskey.

She still hadn’t said anything yet but walked in in silence.

“Charlie, I meant what I said earlier. I don’t want to, but I gotta go…”

“I know” I replied. My voice was too sad for my liking. I made an effort to change it. “You also said earlier, that you were coming back occasionally… for Henry’s sake.”

I was pouring the Whiskey, she took hers easily and took a long sip before responding.

“Regina and I, we made a deal. I still get to see him every once in a while, just not all the time.”

“But you are coming back frequently?” 

“Yeah, I just don’t think my living here is helping him.” She looked down her eyes sad. 

“I understand” That caught her attention. Her eyes shot up at me as if she was expecting something else. “On these frequent visits, why don’t you take a stop at your favorite local guitar shop?” 

She finally smiled up at me and her entire demeanor changed. She relaxed and moved closer to me. 

“Yeah, that’s what I was thinking.” She looked over at her guitar that was still on its stand by the corner and put the glass down on the table, eagerly walking over to her beautiful instrument. She grabbed it and quickly turned back to me. “And every now and then I’m going to have to have my guitar restrung and cleaned” She smiled at me coyly. 

I sat on the edge of the table, returning her smile. “Why don’t you play me something before your next visit?” 

And just like that the aura of the room was how it had always been, two friends, two kindred spirits, spending time together.

She laughed and took up the instrument. “Any requests?” she said with mock sarcasm.

“Do you know any Fleetwood Mac?” 

“I love Stevie Nicks”

I recognized the song she started playing. ‘Gypsy’ How fitting. 

She played a few more songs and finished her glass of whiskey. 

We spent the following hour talking, where she’d go next, when she was planning on coming back. The hour passed far too quickly. 

She looked up at the clock. “I… I think I oughtta get going, I still have a few more things to pack”

“Yeah” 

Both of us were solemn again. I walked over to the spare closet and pulled out an empty guitar case.

In trying to keep the mood light, I Hollard over my shoulder. “Don’t forget to pack that” I nodded in the direction of her gift.

She took the case from me, putting the instrument in it carefully and flipping the locks.

I got close to her and ran my hand through her hair once more. To my surprise she pulled me in close, her lips reaching mine. It was the same type of kiss we’d shared at the hospital, one of sadness and love mixed together.

When she finally pulled away, the hollowness in my chest was the only thing I could feel.

We didn’t say anything else but my eyes followed her all the way to the door. 

She idled at the doorway like she had when she first arrived, her gaze never straying from mine and then finally, she turned and left.

I knew this wouldn’t be the last time I saw her, but it felt as if it would be a long while before I saw her again. I couldn’t help the loneliness that washed over me. It was too quiet. 

I took another long sip of my drink, finishing it and pouring another. 

‘Deafening silence’ I heard someone say that once. I’d always thought it was merely an overdramatic statement but the emptiness of my shop, which had never bothered me before, now gave me chills. I looked at all my gorgeous instruments on their places on the wall. All but the most important; the J O L. 

The artificial lighting of the room was reflecting off of the bodies of the instruments, it somehow made me feel as if they were laughing at me. 

I knew I had too much of a buzz going on but I really didn’t care and proceeded to pour myself yet another glass. 

The ‘J O L’ was still where I’d left it on another desk. I put the broken case near the door, I’d take it to Marco’s tomorrow, and looked out the window, the sun would set in an hour or two. 

I heard an ambulance go flying down the road. Given the amount of drinks I was working on the siren was like a knife through the head.

I went back over to my main desk and sat down, not knowing or caring what to do with myself and spent the rest of the evening in this stupid, self-pitying manor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We all know who's in that ambulance at the end of the chapter. Poor Henry.
> 
> I'm sure everyone's already figured out Donny Quixon is Don Quixote, I was kind of lazy with the naming... and blatant references. I'm just putting this here for clarity sake.
> 
> Hope you guys like it.
> 
> Let me know what you think.


	24. Strange Happenings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is Part 1 of the episode 'A Land Without Magic' Part 2 coming up next.

My head could be compared to a minefield going off when I awoke. I couldn’t even remember the last time that I’d allowed myself to get that drunk. 

Apparently I’d fallen asleep exactly where I’d passed out. At my work desk. Ugh… It was disgraceful; the amount of alcohol I’d consumed last night.

I staggered up from my seat and made it over to the window of the shop, parting the shades. It was still dark out. 

Dark and dreary… I chided myself for being so pathetic. ‘Get a grip' was all I could think.

I noticed two people standing in front of a car down the street in front of the pet shelter, Mary Margaret and David were having a conversation. It didn’t look like it was going well for David.

What do you know, I wasn’t the only miserable person in town. I walked away from the window, not caring about Storybrooke drama. I needed to get back into my old ways. 

What would I have done a couple of months ago, on an evening like this? …Set up traps for Gold’s thugs, clean the Shop, wind strings for my instruments… it all seemed so worthless now.

I needed a distraction. Badly. 

I looked around my business for a minute, my eyes immediately catching on the gaping hole in the wall. I’d forgotten about. There we go: A project.

I knew Marco would have some spackling paste that could cover it. My eyes moved over to the broken glass case with the wooden back. 

 

\---

 

Thankfully, Marco was still awake and working alone in his garage even though the hour was late.

The usually optimistic and pleasant craftsman seemed as depressed as I was. 

“Ah, Charlie, What can I do for you, my friend…” he said in a dull tone. 

I nodded to the large case I was carrying. 

“Sorry, I know it’s late, I was wondering if I could get this fixed” Carrying the case was no easy task and without a word he cleared a spot for it on his work desk. “I was also wondering if you had some spackling paste I could buy from you while I'm here”

He nodded in compliance and then turned to the various shelves filled with tools, buckets of paint and other home repair items.

He seemed lonelier than usual.

“Where’s your friend? August?”

He stopped searching for a moment, head hung low. 

“He was not able to come in… After I took him to the hospital, the Doctors, they say they could find nothing wrong with him but he can no longer move. The only thing they say explains his condition is something called ‘Munchausen syndrome’. Apparently it’s something where a person believes that they’re sick in order to get the doctor’s attention.”

His eye’s scrunched close together, eyebrows nearly forming a straight line, and continued to speak in his thick Italian accent.

“I don’t believe it. I looked into his eyes… he’s no liar. I believe he truly is in pain.”

I was at a loss for words for a moment.

“Well, hopefully everything will turn out all right”

Marco shook his head, seeming to clear his thoughts and went back to looking through the shelves. 

He finally grabbed the correct bucket and brought it over to me. “I can have the case fixed in a few days”

I felt pity for the man and handed him the money for the paste, over paying slightly without him noticing. He didn’t look at it, simply stuffing the wad of cash into the top drawer of his work desk.

“Thank you, Marco. Take your time, there’s no rush”

He nodded and I left the garage with the paste and a drywall knife he’d put on top of it. 

On my way back I saw something that caught my attention. Gold was heading to the abandoned Library, The building that housed the clock tower. 

What was he up to? Thankfully he didn’t notice me. 

Everyone was awake tonight apparently. How strange. 

I slipped back into the shop putting the supplies I’d just gotten on the floor near the wall. 

I was trying to let whatever Gold was doing pass but couldn’t help the strange feeling in my gut. Something was wrong, something strange was going on... More so than usual. 

Ten minutes passed and then twenty. The curiosity and paranoia was eating at me. 

I headed back to the window, squinting, trying to see through the darkness to the clock tower. The abandoned building was an ominous thing to look at. Planks of wood covering the windows and newspapers covering the glass door front. 

Just as I was about to give up on the matter, there was Gold, making a discreet, yet hasty exit from the site. 

He was carrying something so strange looking I couldn’t make any sense of it. It was some kind of giant, golden, egg-looking thing. 

I couldn’t explain the strange feeling that was coming over me, it was an odd mixture of worry and the need to figure out what was going on.

I went over to the closet and grabbed a weapon, I’d always made that a general rule when dealing with Gold, especially at night. 

Putting the safety on, I tucked it into my waist, I didn’t like this but I decided to trust my instincts on this one and made my way out the door, heading in his direction.

“Gold” I shouted, making my way over to him.

He stopped and turned towards me, looking angry and irritated, I noted he kept glancing back at the old library. 

“Unfortunately, I don’t have time for you right now, Capt- Charlie”

What did he almost just call me?

I let it go and continued my approach.

“What’s going on? And what the bloody hell is that thing you’re carrying?”

He was trying, and nearly failing, to keep the calm in his voice as he spoke again.

“That’s none of your business and as I recall, we made an agreement to stay out of each other’s way a few weeks ago” 

I was now close enough where I could step into his path, he seemed to be heading in the direction of his Shop. Standing in front of him, his expression was getting angrier and he made yet another discreet glance back at the old building.

“GET out of my way” He spoke more firmly.

There was an urgency to his tone and his free hand moved to the inside of his jacket pocket, when his hand came back out he had a gun pointed at me. I was just as swift, knowing what he was doing I’d had enough time to grab my own weapon. We were at a draw.

We stood there locked, tensions high, weapons aimed at the other, not knowing whether or not the other will finally pull the trigger. 

After a minute or so he finally let out a frustrated sigh and lowered his gun, again, taking another nervous glance towards the old building.

“This is not a fight you want to have right now.”

I lowered my weapon. 

“Then tell me what that is.”

“Charlie, we have been at odds for a very long time and miraculously” heavy sarcasm on the word “we’ve finally come to a peaceful agreement, now, I would ADVISE you to let this go and continue that agreement”

I didn’t trust the snake of course, but he made a good point. I tucked my weapon back into the waist of my jeans.

“Fine, I’ll let this go- As long as you assure me of one thing; that thing” I nodded toward the object in his free arm “whatever it is, no one is going to be hurt by it.” The corner of his mouth twitched up for a brief moment but his face was sincere. 

“I assure you. No one is going to be hurt by it”

Just as I decided to let it go, I heard an echo of a clamor coming from the building he had been looking back at.

I turned and saw two figures running at full speed away from our direction and heading up the road towards the hospital. It was too dark to make out who they were, they were running as if someone was dying. The only thing I could make out was that one of them was wearing high heels.

I turned back to Gold. He was gone. 

Frustrated, I headed over towards the abandoned building where the door was still swinging on its hinge. 

I started looking around. The first thing I noticed was an empty chair in the middle of the room with severed ropes behind the back of it. Someone had been held captive here, no doubt. That explains Gold’s haste to end the argument. 

It looked like whoever it was had gotten away safely. I remembered seeing the figures running at full tilt away from the building. One must have saved the other. Good, at least I knew whoever the two were, they were alright. 

I was hesitant to let this go but ultimately things had worked out, right? The victims were alive, whatever Gold was doing he must’ve failed. 

I walked back out onto the street looking around one more time before reluctantly heading back towards my shop. It was early morning now, in an hour or so the sun would begin to rise. 

I still couldn’t shake the feeling that something was coming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For any one wondering when this is all going on, if you watch the episode, This chapter starts (and by starts, I mean Charlie wakes up) around 8 minutes into the episode, Henry's in the Hospital and Emma's already figured everything out about the town. 
> 
> The Chapter ends 30 minutes into the episode.


	25. The J O L

I’d been awake nearly the entire night, it was a cloudy morning but the sun was up. The strange feeling that had come over me last night still had my stomach in a knot. 

I wondered where Swan was, had she left town yet, was she still finishing her goodbyes? 

I looked at the spot where the old guitar I’d given her had been. The faded wallpaper around it leaving its shadow. 

She was most likely back in Boston by now or at least heading there. 

I shook my head, trying to shake away the loneliness that was creeping back into my system. ‘Enough’ I scolded myself, I’d already decided I needed to stop being so pathetic about this. I needed routine back. I decided to get a cup of coffee at Granny’s.

Before leaving I picked up the ‘J O L’ and placed it in Emma’s guitar’s empty spot. “There… problem solved…” I mumbled to no one in a defeated voice. 

Locking the Shop up behind me, I noticed, down the road, David was getting in his truck. The back of his truck's flat bed was stuffed to the brim. I guess I was right about his situation with Mary Margaret, It looked like he was leaving for good.

\---

Getting my coffee and sitting down in my usual spot by the large glass windows of the diner, I started thinking about what I’d do next. I’d never had to wonder about this before.

It’d had always been simple; protect the Shop, keep Gold at bay, clean the Shop, upkeep on the merchandise, and occasionally drinks at the Rabbit Hole. That was my life in a nutshell. Now it felt so hollow…

Funny, it took a woman with a Sheriff’s badge and a tiny yellow bug to make me realize just how empty my life was. 

‘Stop it’ I had to remind myself again. It’s not like I’ll never see her again she’ll be back eventually for visits, she said she’d stop by the next time she was in town.

I took a long sip from my cup coffee. I needed caffeine, it had been a long night. 

I stared out the window, people were going about their day as usual. I supposed I should do the same.

My eyes squinted together when one figure wandering down the street sent my eyebrows up to my hair line, she was wearing a long gray coat that clearly wasn’t hers and her hair was just as wild as the last time I’d seen her.

It was the Brunette from the Hospital. 

“The coffee alright?” 

In one sharp move I turned back to a hesitant Ruby, eyeing me curiously. 

“You look like you just saw a ghost” she followed up, wondering what was wrong with me.

I was too distracted to respond, by the time I looked back out the window the Brunette was gone. Had I imagined it? I was certainly lacking sleep. Perhaps coffee wasn’t such a good idea. 

Ruby was still waiting for a response. 

“Coffee’s fine, Love” 

I took out a five and left it on the table, leaving her a nice tip. She simply smiled, took the bill and went back behind the counter. 

I got up and headed back home. I needed sleep. REAL sleep, not the drunken three hour pass-outs I'd been surviving on. 

 

I nodded at Mary Margaret as I passed her by on the sidewalk, neither of us seemed in the mood for small talk, she nodded back in zombie-like fashion, seeming just as exhausted as myself. 

As I opened the door to the Shop entrance, a blast of light engulfed me and for a moment my mind went completely blank. 

I heard the keys to the door hit the ground as a thousand memories crashed down, pummeling me like a tidal wave.

‘The Ocean, my crew, Peter Pan, the lost boys, Tinkerbell, The Evil Queen sending me to assassinate her mother in wonderland, Cora, The Brunette I tried to murder for information… Milah’, Chills were crawling up my arms and back, my hand was beginning to shake in rage. The memories kept coming.

‘My revenge, my Hook... I am Captain Hook... The Crocodile- Gold, My ship… my ship…’ I could feel the blood draining from my face as I stood in horror in the doorway of my Shop as I realized I was looking at a massacre. 

I couldn’t feel my legs as I made my way over to the ‘J O L’ nor could I control my breathing as I walked over to it, already knowing the answer to this sick riddle. 

My blood was boiling. With a shaking hand, I picked up the Instrument, immediately recognizing the painted letters and what they meant, I turned and looked at the four walls decorated in guitars all of their wood a striking resemblance, save a few. 

‘J O L’ The L was cut off right at the bridge. I finished the two words in my mind. 

J O L L Y R O G E R.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, just wanted to let you all know that this chapter was the end of the season one cursed Killian Fic. 
> 
> I am going to keep going with this story but, obviously, because season two was when Hook was introduced, this is where I start heading further away from cannon. 
> 
> Let me know what you thought about the chapter! Comments are always good motivators, and thanks for reading, as always!


	26. A Second Thought

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Heads up: This is probably one of the darker chapters of the story. This entire chapter takes place in the span of a couple minutes.
> 
>  
> 
> Let me know what you think.

“That Bloody Demon!” I hollered, the echo reverberating throughout the empty Shop. 

I was frozen in place, remembering my former life- all of it. I was Killian Jones. Captain Hook. 

My Ship; The Jolly Roger had been demolished. The Queen’s curse had manipulated its wooden remains, turning them into guitars. 

My blood was on fire, mind swirling with rage. I never would have thought that I’d want revenge on anyone besides Rumplestiltskin, but the Queen certainly had my attention now.

I remembered how I'd gottten here. I nearly hadn’t. I could have been back in the Enchanted Forrest right now with Cora.

When I’d arrived in the Enchanted Forrest from Neverland, just months before the Queen had enacted the curse, she’d wanted me to assassinate her mother in wonderland. 

Cora had convinced me to double cross Regina, more like left me no choice, but at the last second, the night before Cora cast her protection spell around the Island, I’d left intentionally, deciding to rather take my chances with the curse. I’d heard rumors on the docks that the curse would only last for twenty eight years before being broken and then the Dark One would be truly powerless in a land without magic. I didn’t need Cora.

My heart was beating faster. 

My moment had come. 

The despair of what had become of my ship was put aside for a moment as a new surge of adrenaline rushed through me. 

NOW it was time to skin myself a crocodile. 

He’s powerless now. I began strategizing. He has no magic in this land, I could dispose of him in any way I chose. 

There was an overwhelming rush rising up in me as I thought of which weapon I could use to dispatch him with.

Gun? No, far too simple and quick for the lifetime of suffering he’d caused me. 

Poison? Damnit, the Dream shade concentration I’d saved for him had been on the Ship before the curse. 

Sword? That would be satisfying; to defeat him the way I should have, so many centuries ago, when he made me the Villain I became so known for; Captain Hook.

Hook… Yes, it has to be my Hook, I’ll run him through with it, and with no magic he’ll have no way to heal himself. I thought of his cane, he was still weak. I could end him easily now.

I’d made up my mind.

I was still reeling at the sheer amount of knowledge I was being hit with. I’d seen the Caricature of myself in that god awful cartoon, realizing that; that is how this world sees me, a buffoon. Well, this buffoon has a task to enact. Revenge to complete.

I grabbed my Hook from the drawer of my work desk and a spike of hatred for the queen ran through me again. It had been hidden in the wall this entire time.

I wiped away any remaining dirt from it with my shirt. 

My Brace… I needed my brace for my left wrist. It was upstairs. I remembered seeing it in my apartment. I’d kept it (not knowing what it was at the time) in the bottom drawer of my dresser. Without a second thought I was moving, nearly breaking into a sprint to get to the stairwell to my upstairs apartment. 

I plowed through the door and marched over toward the old dresser, nearly pulling the handle of the drawer off in a fit of adrenaline. 

I was quick to reattach it pulling the straps to the attachment as painfully tight as I could to my wrist. 

As if I’d done this every day for the past twenty eight years, I glided the hook into its place, locking it in place, the satisfying click sending chills down my spine.

I was too entranced at the sight of my left arm (Looking as it had been for nearly two hundred years) to realize that I was taking too much time.

As I looked away from my returned reality, my eyes caught on something that sent every emotion I had just experienced to a complete stand still.

There, atop the dresser, in front of the mirror was the lightly dust-coated picture of Emma that I’d kept.

She was smiling in the photo, playing the guitar, I- ugh… Charlie Johnson, I should say… was standing in the background watching her with the same smile on my- his face.

Emma. My mind went blank and my eyes shifted up to my reflection in the mirror. I didn’t recognize myself. My expression which had been sadistic moments ago, turned to confusion.

I was a man standing in front of a mirror in a black shirt, blue Jeans, and a leather-attached hook at the end of my left wrist in my one bedroom apartment.

I looked back down at the picture again, unsure of who I was.


	27. Family Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Family Reunion time! Straight out of the episode 'Broken' from season two. This Chapter is almost entirely in tune with the scene from the episode but, like I said before this is where we start to deviate!
> 
> Next chapter's going to be all Charlie's POV.

Emma’s POV: 

After we’d seen that purple smoke coming over the town while we were in the hospital everyone had been on edge. Mother Superior told us it was magic. 

Yeah, I still was having trouble with this…

We waited a few more minutes but nothing changed. It didn’t seem like anything was happening and Henry was still over the moon that everything he’d believed had finally been proven right.

I was just glad HE was alright. My kid was alive, that was the only thing that mattered to me right now. 

I was still hugging him when he pulled back, hopped off the hospital bed and grabbed my hand like he’d never even been sick. 

Well, it was magic after all… I can’t believe that… Magic… was real.

He pulled me from that seriously strange train of thought, only to send me down another one. 

“Come on, Mom” 

“Wait, what kid? Where we going?”

He looked at me like I was stupid. I guess I could give it to him, I was playing stupid after all, I knew what he’d want to do next.

“Where going to find Mary Margaret and David- You know, you’re parents, my Grandparents.”

“Uh… Yeah” was all I could think to mutter as he led the way out of the building.

We walked through town slowly, watching everyone else. 

I still couldn’t get over the fact that all this… MAGIC Crap was actually real, Henry had been right the whole time…

I kept walking slower and slower, knowing where we were heading, I wasn’t sure how to handle this. Hell, how would anyone handle this? 

My parents. The people I’d been looking for my entire life were… Fairytale Characters? 

Even with that thought swirling around my head, I was still feeling a little bit nauseous. Mary Margaret? She was my… Mom? 

Half of me was angry for some reason, but the more annoying half wanted confirmation. I already knew it was true. Regina was… the Evil Queen after all, we’d just worked together. I’d just fought a Dragon in an underground cavern under a Clock Tower. 

This had to be a Hallucination. I looked up at Henry who was a few paces ahead of me at this point. Regina had run off and now we were looking for Mary Margaret and David… My… Parents. 

I had to shake my head, it still sounded weird. I don’t think I’ve ever been more uncomfortable in my entire life. 

Looking around, everyone seemed so happy, it was like a weird, teary, high school reunion. People were crying and hugging in every direction. 

Henry stopped out of nowhere and looked at me. He nodded up the street. I froze awkwardly. Up ahead of us were Mary Margaret and David hugging. They were hugging like they haven’t seen each other in years.

Right. 

My walking got slower and slower, I nearly stopped completely until Henry pushed me forward. “It’s alright, Mom.” 

I gave him a half smile.

Granny and Leroy and a few other people were all standing in the group now. Mary Margaret and David switched places between hugging everyone before holding each other again.

I could hear their conversation now. 

“So, what do we do now?” Ruby asked the group.

Mary Margaret (Acting way out of the way that I’d normally seen her) steadied herself and said something that made me want to shrink into an awkward, tiny spec for some reason. This had never been the way I’d imagined this would go down.

“Now. Now I find my Daughter”

“So, it’s true?” The words came out of my mouth before I knew I was speaking. 

They both turned to me. The emotion on their faces… There were tears in both of their eyes, and that weird, wanting to be small, feeling came over me again as they examined me, looking me up and down while Mary Margaret’s arm reached up to touch my face.

I didn’t realize I was backing away and didn’t know why I was. Wasn’t this the moment I’d waited my whole life for?

She put both her hands on my face, I looked at David, tears streaming down his face as he stared at me in awe. 

The next thing I knew we were hugging.

“You found us” she said and I could hear crying in her voice.

My throat was choked and I couldn’t stop the tears coming into my eyes. David joined the hug, putting his hand on the back of my head. 

I couldn’t talk, there were too many emotions. After a minute, thankfully, Henry interrupted. 

“Grandma?”

They both started laughing, even I couldn’t keep in the chuckle that came out of me. This situation was insane.

“Yeah, Kid” David laughed.

I couldn’t believe it. After twenty eight years, I’d finally found my biological Parents.

In a magical town… Where they were actually Snow White and Prince Charming… I tuned out the conversation for a minute, trying to wrap my head around the concept. 

I was surrounded by my biological parent’s and my son. As weird as it was, I should have been completely happy? Right? 

I guess it was just the weight of all of the other stuff. Yes, they were Snow White and Prince Charming… Regina was the Evil Queen, Gold was Rumplestiltskin. Charlie was…

This was a big moment for me. I couldn’t believe I even had room in my head for any more thoughts, but… Charlie… Where was he? Who was he? I knew that however awkward my… Family Reunion was… I wanted to know about him too, where was he? Was he alright?


	28. -----Not an actual chapter----

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dilemma:

Alright so I'm having a bit of an issue with what I wanted to do with this story. So I want to ask my subscribers (who I appreciate very much, you guys are the best!) Or any other people who've stumbled upon my fic, a question.

A lot of people started reading because this was a cursed killian fic.

But now that I've finished the season one aspect of it, I'm having trouble deciding whether to keep writing this story from a Charlie/Killian POV of what I think would have happened in canon or to go full out in changing what happened on the show during season two. 

So I guess I want to kind of do this like a poll. 

1\. Don't follow what happened in season two and change events to make this more of a fun, lighter read.

Or 

2\. Keep going with what I thought would have happened and stay (somewhat) true to the events of season two.

Either way, I enjoy writing this, I just want to know what the readers would prefer to see. I got plans for either way it could go.

Option two would see a lot more angst with with some drawn out, but very potent pay off. 

Option one would be less angsty and a lot more fluff and light reading.

Leave your answers or suggestions in the comments.

And as always Thanks for reading!


	29. ---Update----

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who left their choices and thoughts in the comments, I was kind of bummed that only a handful of subscribers replied, but to those who did, thank you! you guys are the best!
> 
> Thank you to 
> 
> Rosie  
> Scrambledeggsandenglishbreakfast  
> EagleEyes460  
> Athena_Sensible  
> N311  
> Madsforeva  
> Kiwistreet  
> Mellianna  
> Yesiamanowl  
> Moonlightocean

Alright, so it seems like the majority of people want want me to keep up with the season 2 Charlie/Killian plot. The new chapter will be up by the end of the weekend.

It is going to be a bit angsty, at least for the next couple chapter's, got to stay true to killians character before we can get some pay off.

(For all the people who voted option one, I hear you guys too. I could also use some fluff pieces, which is why I'm gonna start another little side fic about what I would have liked season 6 to be, had emma never found out about her prophecy, and it is going to be LOADED with fluff and happiness)

The first chapter for that will probably be up after Sunday. 

 

Thanks again for everone who threw in their two cents! Hope you guys like what I got coming up.


	30. Second Meeting with a Mad Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this chapter takes place during the first half of "Broken"

Charlie’s POV:

I hadn’t left my apartment. I was sitting on my bed, still staring at the picture of Emma. I couldn’t keep my eyes from wandering back over to my hook, though. 

This was the strangest Jekyll and Hyde complex I’ve ever had. When I looked at the Hook, every nerve on my arm shot up and I could feel my blood boiling and I was confident now was the time to take action and get my revenge and then I’d look back at the picture in my right hand and a strange wave of… I’m not sure… Calmness? Uncertainty? Hope? Would come over me.

I’m not even Charlie Johnson, I’m not even the man she thinks I am. I’m Captain Hook, Killian Jones. Someone who has lived hundreds of years just for this opportunity, and the things that I’ve done to get here. I need to finish my life’s mission. I need my revenge. 

My eyes drifted back to the picture again. I remembered how I felt in that moment, I was having… fun, I was happy. Happiness wasn’t something I thought I’d ever feel again. But was it real?

No. 

…Maybe?

Frustrated, I tossed the picture on the dresser and got up. 

My Hook glinted in the light from my apartment.

I steeled myself. No. I’ve spent a lifetime hunting this man and I will end him. I’ll… speak with Emma later. She doesn’t even really know me after all. Charlie Johnson was an illusion. 

I thought of Milah dying in my arms, she loved me. I swore I’d avenge her. I thought of the countless years on Neverland, plotting my revenge, losing members of my crew to that evil place and to Pan, all for the sake of my revenge. I’ve come too far. I need to end this. 

My mind was made up. I headed back to the Shop front. 

The anger that had been simmering while I’d been in my apartment boiled over into full blown rage, my hand started shaking again. My Ship. My home! All turned into bloody Guitars! The Queen would pay as well, but not first. 

The amount of people on Main Street made me guarded, there was a mob being led by Dr. Wale, as they passed I could hear their shouts of “Make her pay” and even a “Kill the Queen” Perhaps, I won’t even get the chance to take care of her after all. I ducked into an alley way as another group was coming up behind them, I thought I caught sight of Leroy at the end of it. 

After the group had passed I snuck back out onto the road and headed in the opposite direction, towards Gold’s Shop.

I was ready for this. I clung to my hatred.

Kicking the door open with my foot I went in ready to fight or die trying. I was met with a silent echo. 

The lights were off. It appeared he wasn’t here. I looked over at some of the swords on the wall. Lo and behold, there was my old Rapier, the hilt was just as intricately crafted as I remembered. Of course he had it. I looked around. None of this belonged to him, of course.

Something crashed in the back room. 

As quietly as I could, I followed the noise. Sword ready. My heart started beating faster. Was this it, the moment I’d waited centuries for?

As I went through the doorway I saw the figure that had made the noise and it wasn’t who I’d expected. It was that bizarre fellow from all those weeks ago. Jefferson was his name. Not that it mattered in this town.

He’d been bent over, shuffling through Gold’s boxes. He froze when He saw me before shifting back into a cocky kind of nature, clearly not expecting any company, which meant Gold wasn’t here. 

“Well, Captain, Look who’s gone Mad.”

Ah, the Mad Hatter. Got it. 

“He’s out in the woods. You know that old well? You’ll find him out there.” 

He went right back to sifting through Gold’s stuff as soon as he’d finished speaking, expecting me to turn on my heel. 

I was about to, but as enraged as I was I couldn’t keep myself from my curiosity. 

“What are you doing?” 

He was quick to respond, his voice annoyed. 

“Why do you care? Shouldn’t you be in a more ‘stabby’ mood? Getting your revenge?” 

Okay, so he’s clearly heard of me from back in the Enchanted Forrest.

Unfortunately for him though, I was very much in a ‘Stabby’ mood. As swift as I’d ever been, I moved over to him and had my sword at his throat. 

“Easy now. I told you where gold was, Shouldn’t you be saving this for him” 

“Yes, but I’m also not one to waste opportunities. Tell me what you’re looking for.” 

He took a deep breath through his nose, annoyed, but aware that I had him cornered. 

“Did you miss the purple smoke? Magic is in Storybrooke now.”

My voice was dark when I replied “What?”

I pushed the blade closer to his skin. 

“That purple cloud that ran over Storybrooke. It was Magic. That’s why Gold’s at the Well in the Forrest, what have you been under a rock for the past hour?”

Not under a rock, in my Shop and then my Apartment. Damnit!

I let out a loud sigh before backing off away from him.

He wasn’t even phased and went back to rummaging through boxes.

“That’s why I’m in here. One, because he’s not. Two, I need to find something that can protect me and my daughter from magic and Regina” He spoke to me as if I was nothing more than a nuisance, as if I hadn’t just had a sword to his throat. 

The gravity of what he’d just said to me was hitting me. DAMNIT! While I’d had my head wrapped around the thought of Swan I’d missed my window of opportunity, now that Magic was back. He was immortal once again. 

I’d have to think of another way to kill him! Again!

I’d heard Squid ink had trapped him once before, I suppose I could start looking for something similar or I could start looking for his Dagger, regardless, now I needed a strategy. 

I needed to speak to Smee, to see what he could get his hands on. 

The Crocodile had just bought himself another day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When It comes to the POV note, I'm going to keep using Charlie instead of Hook for a while. I'll change it eventually but not until he patches things up with Emma.


	31. Confusion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little rambling set in the middle of the episode Broken.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This Chapter is a bit sloppy, I'll probably clean it up some time tomorrow. I knew if I didn't put it up now I'd just keep procrastinating. Life's been a bit of a whirlwind lately.

Charlie’s POV:

An hour or two later, I’d gotten back from meeting Smee… Christopher… Whatever. He was just as confused as everyone else in town, with no Idea of where to find magic or anything of the sort. It was a dead end. 

My Hook had been hidden in the very walls of my shop, my brace, in my apartment upstairs. The Dream shade poison I’d taken from Neverland all those years ago had been on my Ship when the Curse hit.

… If those instruments were the Jolly Roger (I shuddered… My Ship…) perhaps there was more hidden in the shop than I knew. 

Heading back to the place that I begrudgingly called home. I noticed the mob from earlier spreading out and heading away from the street that Regina’s mansion was on. 

I wondered if she was still alive or not, they seemed like they were ready for blood earlier. 

Before I could completely take my eyes away from the dispersing crowd I saw her. The heart wrenching blonde that had me so confused. 

Once again, I could feel the anger that had been consuming me melt away for a fraction of a moment. 

She was with Mary Margaret and David Nolan. Her parents- Now that’s an unusual family reunion. She couldn’t see me, I was too far away in the distance. Besides she looked far too preoccupied with this odd development to seem to think about anything else.

I snapped my head away and moved faster to the Shop, I would speak with her later. One way or another I knew that had to happen.

For right now though, I couldn’t have her distracting me. I needed to complete my mission. I was reciting it like a mantra in my head, trying to banish all thoughts of Emma Swan for the time being.

Besides it seemed as though she could use this time to herself and her parents, regardless. Her expression had looked so uncomfortable while she’d been talking to them. 

 

Emma’s POV:

“Thanks Ruby” I said awkwardly, grateful to ‘little Red riding hood’… for watching my kid while I dealt with all this. 

It was kind of Ironic I guess, I waited my entire life to have this reunion with my parents, now all I wanted to do was shrink away from any conversation with them, I’d been so happy an hour ago too.

For some reason I couldn’t explain I was still pissed, I was angry with them. I told them as much too, Mary Margaret wasn’t getting it though and I was getting more and more irritated.

They’d been living in a magical town this entire time while I’d been alone and lonely and living like a Hobo for my entire life.

The only thing I could think to do, was to do what I always had done, keep living my life like I was checking off a checklist. Next on the list was to find Gold and figure out why he betrayed me and what he’d done to this town.

Mary Margaret and David where behind me still asking me questions. My responses where robotic but it was what I needed right now. 

While we were making our way to the Pawn Shop, I couldn’t stop my eyes from drifting down the street. Just the sight of the sign above Charlie’s Shop had my heart beating faster. 

I wished things were simpler, I wanted to know what he was doing right now, I also knew there was no way things were going to be that simple, no conversation would be that easy right now. 

I thought about all those times lounging around his shop, the easy conversations we’d had. I could always vent all of my problems to him. I trusted him.

I got stuck on one specific conversation we’d had weeks ago. We’d been talking about Henry and his Fairytale obsession (which turned out to be true)

Holy crap. Charlie was Captain Hook. I felt like if any more information hit me, I’d grow a brain tumor. 

Despite everything though, I missed my friend. I wished I had him here with me so that I could go off about all this madness, Regina, my… parents… ugh, still not used to that.

But if he was Captain Hook, there’s no way he wasn’t having his own issues right now. I shook my head and tried to keep my mind on the checklist. Deal with Gold.

I’ll talk to Charlie… Hook? ... Soon enough.


End file.
